CVE-2024-54546
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 memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.
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 confidenceThis is a kernel-level memory handling vulnerability in macOS where a malicious application can exploit improper memory operations to either cause unexpected system termination (kernel panic) or corrupt kernel memory. The vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking or improper memory allocation/deallocation patterns in the kernel.
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< 15.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version displayed is below 15.0 (e.g., 14.x, 13.x, etc.)
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Confirm macOS build date if version appears ambiguousRun: system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType | grep 'System Version'Affected if The build version corresponds to a pre-Sequoia release (any build before macOS 15.0)
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Identify kernel architecture for patch applicabilityRun: uname -a to confirm running a macOS kernelAffected if Running any macOS kernel version prior to 15.0, as this vulnerability exists in the macOS kernel memory handling
You are affected if your macOS version is anything below 15.0, as the kernel memory handling flaw is present in all earlier versions.
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 · scoped15.0
Apply the vendor patch by updating to macOS Sequoia 15 or later. Prioritize updates on systems running older macOS versions, especially those with exposure to untrusted applications.
macOS Sequoia 15.0
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method
- Ensure your Mac meets the minimum system requirements for macOS Sequoia
- Connect your Mac to a stable power source
- Upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.0 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update, or download from the Mac App Store
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-54546 — 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-2024-54546 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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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.
- 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