CVE-2024-44149: Apple macOS Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2024-44149 Overview

CVE-2024-44149 is a permissions vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows an application to access protected user data. Apple addressed the issue by adding additional restrictions in macOS Sequoia 15. The flaw is categorized under [CWE-281] (Improper Preservation of Permissions) and affects the macOS permissions enforcement layer that mediates application access to user-controlled resources.

The vulnerability carries network attack vector characteristics in its scoring, with impact concentrated on confidentiality of protected user data. No public exploit has been published, and the issue is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Critical Impact

An application running on an affected macOS system can bypass permission controls and read protected user data without authorization.

Affected Products

• Apple macOS versions prior to macOS Sequoia 15
• Applications relying on macOS Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) protections on pre-Sequoia builds
• Endpoints running unpatched macOS releases that have not been upgraded to macOS Sequoia 15

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-09-17 - CVE-2024-44149 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
• 2025-11-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-44149

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from insufficient permission enforcement in macOS prior to Sequoia 15. macOS uses a permission model that requires applications to obtain user consent before accessing protected resources such as Documents, Downloads, Desktop, Photos, and other privacy-sensitive directories. CVE-2024-44149 weakens this boundary by allowing an application to reach data it should not be authorized to read.

Apple's advisory describes the resolution as the addition of further restrictions, indicating the original permission checks were too permissive. The result is unauthorized exposure of user data to a local or remote application context. Because the issue is corrected through tightened access logic rather than a code execution patch, the underlying weakness aligns with [CWE-281] Improper Preservation of Permissions.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper preservation of permissions in macOS components that gate access to protected user data. Specific code paths failed to retain or enforce the intended access restrictions, allowing an application context to obtain data outside its sanctioned scope. Apple's fix narrows these checks so that the privilege boundary is correctly maintained.

Attack Vector

An attacker leverages the issue through a malicious or compromised application running on the affected macOS host. Once executed, the application can reach protected user files or data stores without the expected consent prompt or entitlement verification. The flaw does not require user interaction beyond running the application and does not require elevated privileges to abuse the permission gap.

No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. See the Apple Support Document and the Full Disclosure Mailing List for vendor and community technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-44149

Indicators of Compromise

• Unsigned or recently installed applications reading from ~/Documents, ~/Downloads, ~/Desktop, or ~/Library without an associated TCC consent prompt
• Process telemetry showing user data file reads by applications that lack the corresponding privacy entitlements
• Outbound network connections from user-space applications immediately following bulk reads of protected user directories

Detection Strategies

• Inventory macOS endpoints by OS build and flag any host below macOS Sequoia 15 as exposed to CVE-2024-44149
• Correlate file access events against application entitlement metadata to identify reads that bypass expected TCC prompts
• Hunt for parent-child process chains where a newly installed application accesses protected user directories within seconds of launch

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Endpoint Security framework telemetry to capture file open events on privacy-protected directories
• Forward macOS Unified Log entries related to tccd decisions to a centralized analytics platform for review
• Establish a baseline of expected applications accessing user data and alert on deviations

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-44149

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade all eligible Mac endpoints to macOS Sequoia 15 or later, which contains the official fix from Apple
• Identify devices that cannot upgrade and restrict installation of untrusted applications on those hosts
• Review installed third-party applications and remove software that is unsigned, unmaintained, or unnecessary for business use

Patch Information

Apple addressed CVE-2024-44149 in macOS Sequoia 15 by adding additional permission restrictions. Refer to the Apple Support Document for the full advisory and the list of components updated in that release. Administrators managing fleets through MDM should target the Sequoia 15 build as the minimum approved version.

Workarounds

• Limit application installation to vetted sources such as the Mac App Store and Gatekeeper-signed notarized developers
• Tighten Privacy & Security settings to deny Full Disk Access and Files and Folders permissions for applications that do not require them
• Use MDM configuration profiles to enforce a managed application allowlist on pre-Sequoia hosts until they are upgraded