dbcve.org
XcodeApplication · Apple

CVE-2024-44162

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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
This issue was addressed by enabling hardened runtime. This issue is fixed in Xcode 16. A malicious application may gain access to a user's Keychain items.

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 · high confidence

A vulnerability in Xcode-generated applications allows a malicious application to access the user's Keychain items. This occurs when hardened runtime is not enabled, which is a macOS security feature that restricts application behavior. The fix involves enabling hardened runtime in the application's Xcode project settings.

MitigationEnable hardened runtime in the Xcode project build settings for all affected macOS/iOS applications. This is a build configuration change that should be tested to ensure application compatibility.

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
XcodeApplication
Affected:< 16.0

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the Xcode version used to build the application
    Check the Xcode version by running 'xcodebuild -version' or reviewing the application's build metadata. If the app was built with Xcode versions prior to 16.0, it may be affected.
    Affected if The application was built with Xcode version lower than 16.0 and the build predates the CVE fix date
  2. Verify if hardened runtime is enabled in the Xcode project settings
    Open the Xcode project and navigate to Project Settings > Build Settings > Code Signing. Look for the 'Enable Hardened Runtime' (ENABLE_HARDENED_RUNTIME) setting. Alternatively, check the project.pbxproj file for ENABLE_HARDENED_RUNTIME = YES.
    Affected if ENABLE_HARDENED_RUNTIME is set to NO, is absent, or is not explicitly set to YES in the project configuration
  3. Inspect the built application for hardened runtime status
    Run 'codesign -dv /path/to/YourApplication.app' and examine the output for 'Runtime' under the CodeRequirements section. If hardened runtime is enabled, the output will show runtime version information. If it shows 'N/A' or is missing, hardened runtime is not enabled.
    Affected if The codesign output shows no runtime version or indicates hardened runtime is not enforced (Runtime=NO or not present in the output)
  4. Verify Keychain access restrictions
    Check if the application has the 'com.apple.security.keychain-access-groups' entitlement properly configured. While this doesn't directly indicate hardened runtime status, applications with hardened runtime enabled have additional protections against unauthorized Keychain access.
    Affected if The application lacks proper Keychain access entitlements and hardened runtime is not enabled, leaving Keychain items accessible to malicious apps

The environment is affected if the application was built with Xcode versions prior to 16.0 and hardened runtime (ENABLE_HARDENED_RUNTIME) is not enabled in the build configuration, allowing potential unauthorized Keychain access.

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 16.0 or later
Fixed in 16.0
Interim mitigation

Enable hardened runtime in the Xcode project build settings for all affected macOS/iOS applications. This is a build configuration change that should be tested to ensure application compatibility.

Recommended fix High confidence

Xcode 16.0

  1. Upgrade to Xcode 16.0 or later to resolve the Keychain access vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization)

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

Fix this in Xcode Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

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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-2024-44162 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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