CVE-2024-44253
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 · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1. 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 confidenceA vulnerability in macOS allowed an application to potentially modify protected areas of the file system. The issue stemmed from insufficient access control checks, enabling apps to bypass file system protection mechanisms. The vulnerability was addressed through improved validation checks in macOS Ventura 13.7.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, and Sequoia 15.1.
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< 13.7.1>= 14.0, < 14.7.1CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionRun `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal to get the exact version number (e.g., 13.6, 14.6, 15.0).Affected if The version is below 13.7.1 for Ventura, below 14.7.1 for Sonoma, or below 15.1 for Sequoia.
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Confirm macOS release nameRun `sw_vers -productVersion` and note the major version: 13.x is Ventura, 14.x is Sonoma, 15.x is Sequoia.Affected if The major version matches an affected branch (13, 14, or 15) and falls below the patched build.
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Verify System Integrity Protection statusRun `csrutil status` in Terminal. If it reports 'enabled', SIP is active.Affected if SIP is disabled (status shows 'disabled'), as this removes a key protection layer against file system modification by apps.
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Check Full Disk Access permissionsGo to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access to see which apps have been granted access.Affected if Any untrusted or third-party application has been granted Full Disk Access, as these could potentially exploit the bypass.
You are affected if your macOS version is 13.7.0 or earlier (Ventura), 14.0-14.7.0 (Sonoma), or 15.0 (Sequoia) and you have third-party apps with elevated file access permissions.
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 · scoped13.7.114.7.1
Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Ventura 13.7.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, or Sequoia 15.1) to patch the file system protection bypass. This is a patchable vulnerability requiring OS updates rather than custom code changes.
macOS Ventura 13.7.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1 (depending on your hardware compatibility)
- Back up your Mac before performing any system update
- Upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.7.1 (if currently on Ventura 13.x)
- Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.7.1 (if currently on Sonoma 14.0-14.7)
- Upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.1 (if currently on Sequoia 15.0)
- Verify the update was successful by checking System Settings > General > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-44253 — 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-2024-44253 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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