CVE-2024-23276: Apple macOS Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2024-23276 Overview

CVE-2024-23276 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Apple macOS. Apple describes it as a logic issue that was addressed with improved checks. A malicious application running on an affected system can leverage the flaw to elevate its privileges beyond what the operating system would normally permit. Apple resolved the issue in macOS Monterey 12.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.4, and macOS Ventura 13.6.5. The vulnerability is tracked under [CWE-269] (Improper Privilege Management).

Critical Impact
An application with local access can elevate privileges on unpatched macOS Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma systems, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

Apple macOS Monterey prior to 12.7.4
Apple macOS Ventura prior to 13.6.5
Apple macOS Sonoma prior to 14.4

Discovery Timeline

2024-03-08 - CVE-2024-23276 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-23276

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2024-23276 is a local privilege escalation flaw rooted in a logic error within macOS. Apple's advisories categorize the fix as "improved checks," indicating that the vulnerable component failed to properly validate a security-relevant condition before authorizing a privileged operation. The issue maps to [CWE-269] Improper Privilege Management, a class of bugs where an application receives more permissions than intended by policy.

Exploitation requires local access to the target Mac and user interaction. A malicious application, once launched by a user, can trigger the flawed logic path to obtain elevated privileges. Successful exploitation gives the attacker high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the host.

Apple did not publicly disclose the affected component name or the specific subsystem containing the logic flaw. Further technical detail is available in the Apple Support Advisory #120884, Apple Support Advisory #120886, and Apple Support Advisory #120895.

Root Cause

The root cause is a logic issue where macOS did not perform sufficient checks before granting access to a privileged resource or operation. Apple's fix strengthens these checks so that the previously accepted state or input path is now rejected.

Attack Vector

The attack is local. An adversary must be able to execute code on the target macOS system, typically as a non-privileged user, and must convince the user to run or interact with the malicious application. Once executed, the app abuses the flawed logic path to gain higher privileges. There are no published proof-of-concept exploits, and CVE-2024-23276 is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The vulnerability is described in prose because no verified public code examples exist. See the Full Disclosure Mailing List Post #21 for related discussion.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-23276

Indicators of Compromise

No public indicators of compromise have been published for CVE-2024-23276.
Apple has not attributed observed in-the-wild exploitation to this CVE.
Absence of macOS security updates 12.7.4, 13.6.5, or 14.4 on managed endpoints is the strongest indicator of exposure.

Detection Strategies

Inventory macOS endpoints and flag any host running a build older than macOS 12.7.4, 13.6.5, or 14.4 as vulnerable.
Monitor for unsigned or ad-hoc signed applications that spawn child processes with elevated effective UIDs or entitlements not matching the parent.
Alert on unexpected use of sudo, AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges, and XPC helper installations by non-administrative user sessions.
Correlate process launches from user-writable paths (~/Downloads, ~/Library/Caches) with subsequent privilege transitions.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Endpoint Security Framework (ESF) telemetry for ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_EXEC, ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_SETUID, and ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_SETGID events.
Ship unified log entries related to authd, securityd, and launchd to a centralized log store for retrospective analysis.
Track installation of privileged helper tools under /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/ and review any additions.
Baseline normal privilege-boundary activity per host so anomalous elevation attempts stand out.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-23276

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade macOS Monterey systems to 12.7.4, Ventura systems to 13.6.5, and Sonoma systems to 14.4 or later.
Enforce patch compliance through MDM policies and quarantine endpoints that cannot be updated.
Restrict installation and execution of unsigned or untrusted applications through Gatekeeper and application allowlisting.
Audit local accounts and remove standing administrative rights where they are not required.

Patch Information

Apple released fixes for CVE-2024-23276 in three security updates. Refer to Apple Support Document #HT214083 for macOS Sonoma 14.4, Apple Support Document #HT214084 for macOS Ventura 13.6.5, and Apple Support Document #HT214085 for macOS Monterey 12.7.4. Apple states the issue was addressed with improved checks.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workaround exists; applying the security update is the only supported remediation.
Reduce risk by limiting the ability of standard users to run arbitrary downloaded binaries via Gatekeeper policy.
Require FileVault, screen-lock, and least-privilege configurations to reduce the value of a compromised local session.
Segment developer or research systems that cannot be immediately patched away from sensitive resources.

bash

# Verify current macOS build and confirm patched version is installed
sw_vers
softwareupdate --list
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart