dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2024-23269

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.7.4 / 13.6.5 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A downgrade issue affecting Intel-based Mac computers was addressed with additional code-signing restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.4, macOS Ventura 13.6.5. An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a code-signing bypass vulnerability in macOS that allowed an application to modify protected parts of the file system on Intel-based Mac computers. The issue stemmed from insufficient code-signing validation that could be exploited through a downgrade attack, potentially allowing malicious or compromised applications to circumvent security restrictions meant to protect system files.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update for the installed version: macOS Monterey 12.7.4, macOS Ventura 13.6.5, or macOS Sonoma 14.4 depending on the target system. This addresses the vulnerability through additional code-signing restrictions.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0, < 12.7.4>= 13.0, < 13.6.5>= 14.0, < 14.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Mac architecture
    Run 'sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string' in Terminal or check About This Mac to determine if the Mac uses an Intel processor. Apple Silicon Macs are not affected by this vulnerability.
    Affected if The Mac is Intel-based and the macOS version falls within the affected ranges
  2. Determine macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or check System Settings > About to obtain the installed macOS version number.
    Affected if The installed version is 12.0 to 12.7.3, 13.0 to 13.6.4, or 14.0 to 14.3 (any version before the fixed releases)
  3. Verify system integrity protection status
    Run 'csrutil status' in Terminal to check if System Integrity Protection is enabled. This protection mechanism works alongside code signing to protect system files.
    Affected if System Integrity Protection is disabled (this compounds the risk but the vulnerability can still apply even when enabled on affected versions)
  4. Check code signing configuration
    Run 'spctl --status' in Terminal to check the status of Gatekeeper's code signing enforcement policy.
    Affected if Code signing validation is not properly enforced (note: this vulnerability exploited downgrade attacks, so specific config inspection requires deeper analysis)

A user is affected if they are running an Intel-based Mac with macOS Monterey 12.0-12.7.3, Ventura 13.0-13.6.4, or Sonoma 14.0-14.3, as these versions contain the insufficient code-signing validation that can be exploited through a downgrade attack.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.7.4 / 13.6.5 / 14.4 or later
Fixed in 12.7.413.6.514.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update for the installed version: macOS Monterey 12.7.4, macOS Ventura 13.6.5, or macOS Sonoma 14.4 depending on the target system. This addresses the vulnerability through additional code-signing restrictions.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Monterey 12.7.4, macOS Ventura 13.6.5, or macOS Sonoma 14.4 depending on your current major version

  1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
  2. Click on General → Software Update (or Software Update)
  3. Wait for macOS to check for updates
  4. If an update is available, click Download and Install
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update
  6. After installation, restart the computer if prompted
  7. Verify the update by going to System Settings → General → About and confirming the version number matches 12.7.4 (Monterey), 13.6.5 (Ventura), or 14.4 (Sonoma)

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-23269 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data