CVE-2024-27878
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 · uneditedA buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.6. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability in macOS kernel allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. The issue stems from improper memory handling in a kernel component, enabling privilege escalation from user-space to kernel-space.
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>= 14.0, < 14.6CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the installed macOS versionRun `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal, or click Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version numberAffected if The version is 14.0, 14.0.x, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, or 14.5 (any build within the 14.0 through 14.5 range)
If the system is running any macOS Sonoma version from 14.0 up to but not including 14.6, it is vulnerable to this buffer overflow and the privilege escalation it enables.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped14.6
Apply macOS Sonoma 14.6 security update to affected systems. Prioritize systems running vulnerable macOS versions, as the vulnerability can be exploited by any locally-running application.
macOS Sonoma 14.6
- 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before updating
- 2. Ensure your Mac has at least 20GB of free storage space available
- 3. Connect your Mac to a stable power source (do not update on battery for critical systems)
- 4. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- 5. Click on 'General' in the sidebar
- 6. Click 'Software Update'
- 7. Wait for macOS Sonoma 14.6 to appear in the update list
- 8. Click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to download and install the update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-27878 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-27878 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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