Actively exploited vulnerability
Apple macOS: security bypass flaw under attack
CVE-2021-30713 · Apple macOS Unspecified Vulnerability
What is affected
Apple macOS is found on ordinary personal computers and phones, so this is not only a problem for companies. If you use it and have not updated since the fix was released, you are exposed.
Apple macOS Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) contains an unspecified permissions issue which may allow a malicious application to bypass privacy preferences.
What an attacker can do
This is a security bypass flaw. It lets an attacker slip past a built-in protection, so warnings and checks that normally stop malicious content never appear.
- How it is reached
- Needs access to the device or a file opened on it
- Access the attacker needs
- A basic user account
- Does the victim have to do something?
- No, works without the victim doing anything
What to do
- Update Apple macOS now. Open the update or "About" screen, install whatever is offered and restart the app or device, because the fix is not active until you do.
- Turn on automatic updates so the next fix arrives without you having to look for it.
- If your device is too old to receive this update, stop using the affected app for anything sensitive and plan a replacement.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
How urgent is it
CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on November 3, 2021, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by November 17, 2021, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.
The EPSS model estimates a 7.0% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 94% of all scored vulnerabilities.
Its CVSS severity score is 7.8 out of 10 (high), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.
Technical description
A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.4. A malicious application may be able to bypass Privacy preferences. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited..