dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2024-44175

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

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

A symlink validation vulnerability in macOS allows an application to potentially access sensitive user data through improper symlink handling. The fix involves improved validation of symlinks to prevent path traversal or symlink-based access bypass attacks.

MitigationUpdate macOS to version 15 (Sequoia) or 14.7.1 (Sonoma) or later to apply the security patch.

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:< 14.7.1

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Check installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version returned is below 14.7.1 (for example, 14.7, 14.6, 14.5, etc.)
  2. Confirm macOS release name
    Run: sw_vers -productVersion and note the major version number
    Affected if The system runs any version of macOS Sonoma (14.x) prior to 14.7.1, or any earlier macOS version (13.x, 12.x, etc.)
  3. Alternative: Check via System Settings
    Go to System Settings > General > About and read the macOS version displayed
    Affected if The displayed version shows a number less than 14.7.1

If the installed macOS version is below 14.7.1, the system is affected by this symlink validation vulnerability.

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 14.7.1 or later
Fixed in 14.7.1
Interim mitigation

Update macOS to version 15 (Sequoia) or 14.7.1 (Sonoma) or later to apply the security patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.7.1 or macOS Sequoia 15

  1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
  2. Click on General in the sidebar
  3. Click on Software Update
  4. If an update is available, click Download and Install, or enable 'Automatically keep my Mac up to date'
  5. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
Caveat Point release security update with minimal risk; ensure third-party apps are compatible with macOS Sequoia if upgrading major version

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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-2024-44175 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