macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2024-44279

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.7.1 / 14.7.1 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
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1. Parsing a file may lead to disclosure of user information.

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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in macOS file parsing functionality allows disclosure of user information. The issue was addressed through improved input validation during file parsing operations.

MitigationApply the macOS security updates (Sequoia 15.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, or Ventura 13.7.1 or later) to the affected systems.

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:>= 13.0, < 13.7.1>= 14.0, < 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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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
    Run the command 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or go to System Settings (or System Preferences) > About to view the macOS version
    Affected if The version displayed is >= 13.0 and < 13.7.1, OR >= 14.0 and < 14.7.1
  2. Confirm macOS name and build number (optional)
    Run 'sw_vers' to see both the product name (Ventura, Sonoma, etc.) and build number
    Affected if The build number corresponds to an unpatched release within the affected version ranges
  3. Identify if file parsing features are in use
    The vulnerability affects file parsing operations which are used by many system components and applications. No specific feature toggle needs to be enabled - this is a core macOS parsing component
    Affected if Running any application that opens or parses files on a vulnerable macOS version could trigger the out-of-bounds read

If the installed macOS version falls within 13.0 to 13.7.0 or 14.0 to 14.7.0, the system is affected by this 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 13.7.1 / 14.7.1 or later
Fixed in 13.7.114.7.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the macOS security updates (Sequoia 15.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, or Ventura 13.7.1 or later) to the affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Ventura 13.7.1 (for 13.x) / macOS Sonoma 14.7.1 (for 14.x) / macOS Sequoia 15.1 (for 15.x)

  1. Check current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
  2. Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup method
  3. Open System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. Allow the system to check for available updates
  5. If macOS 13.x: Install macOS Ventura 13.7.1
  6. If macOS 14.x: Install macOS Sonoma 14.7.1
  7. If macOS 15.x: Install macOS Sequoia 15.1
  8. Restart the system when prompted after update completes
Caveat Standard macOS point releases typically do not introduce breaking changes; ensure compatible applications before upgrading

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
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-44279 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-44279 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