Exploration of Sandboxing and AppData Transparency, Consent, and Control Report
Initially presented at Blackhat USA 2024, the report highlights how these vulnerabilities can be exploited, providing valuable insights into the evolving security challenges within Apple's operating system.
Introduction
On August 24, 2024, cybersecurity researcher Zhongquan Li released a detailed technical report revealing critical security vulnerabilities within macOS, specifically focusing on sandboxing and the AppData TCC mechanism. Initially presented at Blackhat USA 2024, the report highlights how these vulnerabilities can be exploited, providing valuable insights into the evolving security challenges within Apple's operating system.
Report Overview
Zhongquan Li, who initially specialized in Android vulnerabilities, shifted his focus to Apple products due to their better vulnerability disclosure policies and higher bug bounties. Over the past year, Li has identified and exploited over 40 logic vulnerabilities in macOS, culminating in this comprehensive report. The report delves into several key attack vectors, including System Integrity Protection (SIP), Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC), and various sandbox escape techniques.
System Integrity Protection, a robust security feature designed to prevent unauthorized modifications to protected system files, was shown to have vulnerabilities that could be bypassed, allowing attackers to alter these critical files. Similarly, the report reveals multiple methods to circumvent TCC restrictions, particularly through user-approved features and clipboard abuse. One of the report's primary focuses is on sandbox escape techniques, where Li outlined various methods to evade macOS’s application sandbox. This includes exploiting quarantine flag misconfigurations and launching non-sandboxed apps.
The report also highlights the exploitation of the AppData TCC mechanism, with specific references to vulnerabilities such as CVE-2023-42947 and CVE-2023-42850. These vulnerabilities allow attackers to exploit flaws in the AppData TCC mechanism to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. The implications of these vulnerabilities are significant, as they could potentially allow attackers to gain full control over a macOS system, bypassing critical security features like sandboxing and TCC, thereby threatening the security of millions of macOS users.
Insights and Analysis
The exploitation of these vulnerabilities underscores the critical need for secure coding practices and ongoing vigilance in security assessments. Many of the vulnerabilities require some level of user interaction, such as approving app permissions, which emphasizes the importance of user education and awareness in cybersecurity. Ensuring that users are well-informed about the potential risks and signs of exploitation can significantly reduce the likelihood of successful attacks.
Moreover, the report highlights the essential role of secure coding practices in preventing such exploitation, particularly in the implementation of sandboxing and quarantine mechanisms. Developers need to prioritize these practices to ensure that even seemingly minor vulnerabilities do not become significant security risks. The exploitation of system features like TCC and quarantine management reveals potential weaknesses in the design of macOS security, urging developers to consider more robust security measures.
Finally, the report is highly technical and includes detailed Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), providing valuable insights for cybersecurity professionals in detecting and mitigating these threats.
Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)
| Indicator | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-42947 | Vulnerability | A path traversal vulnerability allowing the creation of an app folder without the quarantine attribute on macOS versions 10.15 to 14.0. |
| CVE-2023-42850 | Vulnerability | A vulnerability in Finder that could allow unauthorized access to protected files through MACL manipulation. |
| CVE-2023-42932 | Vulnerability | A vulnerability in ContainerManagerd allowing the creation of a Data folder without proper TCC protection on macOS 14.5. |
| CVE-2024-23215 | Vulnerability | A race condition vulnerability in macOS’s ContainerManager allowing unauthorized access to files. |
| CVE-2024-27872 | Vulnerability | A security patch bypass vulnerability in macOS’s ContainerManager allowing unauthorized access to folders with incorrect MACL tagging. |
MITRE ATT&CK TTPs
| Tactic | Technique | ID | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privilege Escalation | Exploitation for Privilege Escalation | T1068 | Exploiting software vulnerabilities to elevate privileges. |
| Defense Evasion | Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism | T1548.002 | Abuse of macOS’s Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) to bypass controls. |
| Defense Evasion | Execution Guardrails | T1627 | Avoiding detection by exploiting quarantine flag settings. |
| Initial Access | Exploit Public-Facing Application | T1190 | Exploiting vulnerabilities in publicly accessible applications. |
References
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