CVE-2024-54467 is a vulnerability identified in Apple’s macOS and other Apple operating systems, including watchOS, visionOS, iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS. The root cause is a cookie management issue that results in improper state management, allowing a malicious website to exfiltrate data across origins. This cross-origin data leakage violates the same-origin policy, a fundamental browser security mechanism designed to isolate content from different origins. The vulnerability does not require any privileges (AV:N) and has low attack complexity (AC:L), but it does require user interaction (UI:R), such as visiting or interacting with a malicious website. The impact is primarily on confidentiality (C:H), with no direct impact on integrity or availability. The flaw is classified under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor). Apple has fixed this issue in the latest versions of its operating systems and Safari browser by improving the internal state management of cookies to prevent unauthorized cross-origin data access. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability could be leveraged by attackers to steal sensitive information such as session tokens, personal data, or other browser-stored credentials. This vulnerability affects all users running the specified Apple OS versions and browsers prior to the patches.

For European organizations, the primary impact is the potential exposure of sensitive user data through cross-origin data exfiltration when users visit malicious websites. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, including session cookies or authentication tokens, which could facilitate further attacks such as account takeover or targeted phishing. Organizations relying heavily on Apple devices and Safari browsers for business operations, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government, face increased risks. The vulnerability could undermine user privacy and trust, potentially leading to regulatory compliance issues under GDPR if personal data is compromised. Although the vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach alone can have significant reputational and operational consequences. Since exploitation requires user interaction, the risk can be mitigated by user awareness and network-level protections, but the widespread use of Apple products in Europe means the attack surface is considerable.

1. Immediately apply the security updates released by Apple for macOS Sequoia 15, Safari 18, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, and tvOS 18 to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2. Implement network-level filtering to block access to known malicious websites and employ DNS filtering solutions to reduce the risk of users visiting harmful domains. 3. Educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted websites and encourage safe browsing habits, including avoiding clicking on suspicious links. 4. Use endpoint protection solutions that monitor browser behavior and can detect anomalous data exfiltration attempts. 5. For organizations with sensitive data, consider deploying browser isolation or sandboxing technologies to limit the impact of web-based attacks. 6. Regularly audit and monitor network traffic for unusual outbound connections that could indicate data exfiltration attempts. 7. Enforce strict Content Security Policies (CSP) where applicable to limit cross-origin data sharing in web applications used internally.