VulnerabilityPublished 28 Oct 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-44294: Apple macOS · An attacker with root privileges may be able to delete protected system files

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium · fixed in 15.1 : update Apple macOS when convenient.

Data as of 1 Nov 2026, 22:57 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 58% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 15.1

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Oct 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 1 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple macOS	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Apply the official Apple security updates immediately: upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, or Ventura 13.7.1 or later versions where the vulnerability is fixed.
Restrict root access strictly and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalations to reduce the risk of attackers obtaining root privileges.
Implement robust endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect suspicious file deletion activities or abnormal system behavior.
Employ system integrity monitoring tools that alert on unauthorized changes to protected system files.
Regularly back up critical system data and configurations to enable rapid recovery in case of file deletion or system corruption.
Conduct periodic audits of privileged accounts and enforce the principle of least privilege to minimize the number of users with root access.
Use macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and Full Disk Encryption to add layers of defense against unauthorized modifications.
Educate system administrators and security teams about this vulnerability and ensure incident response plans include scenarios involving root-level file deletion.

Description

A path deletion vulnerability was addressed by preventing vulnerable code from running with privileges. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1. An attacker with root privileges may be able to delete protected system files.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-44294 is on system integrity and availability. An attacker with root privileges can delete critical system files, potentially causing system instability, malfunction, or denial of service. This could disrupt business operations, especially in environments relying heavily on macOS for critical tasks. Although root access is required, which typically implies prior compromise or insider threat, the vulnerability could be leveraged as a post-exploitation technique to escalate damage or cover tracks by deleting logs or system binaries. Organizations with macOS deployments in enterprise, creative industries, software development, and education sectors could face operational disruptions. The lack of confidentiality impact reduces risk of data leakage, but system downtime or corruption could lead to significant recovery costs and loss of productivity. Since no known exploits are in the wild, the immediate threat is moderate, but the vulnerability should be addressed promptly to prevent potential future exploitation.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 00:11 UTC

Technical details

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