A new vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-54529, has been discovered that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges through an app. This major security bug is a logic issue, which has now been addressed and resolved using improved checks. Developers need to patch their systems by upgrading macOS to the latest versions: macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Ventura 13.7.2, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.2.

Exploit Details

CVE-2024-54529 is a vulnerability that affects macOS systems, where a malicious app could potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel (high-level) privileges. The problem originated from a lack of proper validation for user-supplied input within specific functions of the operating system.

Here's a simplified example of what a vulnerable function might look like

void executeKernelFunction(void) {
    if (userInput == validData) {
        // Execute the kernel function.
    } else {
        // Handle invalid input.
    }
}

The code snippet above demonstrates how the vulnerable function would only execute the kernel functions if the user-supplied input were valid. However, the lack of proper input validation allowed a malicious app to bypass this check.

Here's an example of a corrected implementation with improved checks

void executeKernelFunction(void) {
    if (validateUserInput(userInput)) {
        // Execute the kernel function.
    } else {
        // Handle invalid input.
    }
}

The improved version now uses a separate validateUserInput() function to check whether the user-supplied input is valid before proceeding with the kernel function execution.

Systems Affected

macOS Sequoia 15.2
macOS Ventura 13.7.2
macOS Sonoma 14.7.2

Mitigation

To protect your system from this vulnerability, Apple has released security updates for macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Ventura 13.7.2, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.2. Users should install the latest available updates to mitigate the risk of exploitation. Additional information can be found in the original references section.

Conclusion

The CVE-2024-54529 vulnerability, which could allow arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges, has now been patched in macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Ventura 13.7.2, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.2. It is crucial to keep your operating system up to date to ensure optimal security against potential threats.

Remember always to install the latest patches and updates for your macOS operating system, and regularly check for security news and updates to guard against vulnerabilities such as CVE-2024-54529.

Timeline

Published on: 12/12/2024 02:15:32 UTC
Last modified on: 12/20/2024 14:47:44 UTC