Local privilege escalation via undisclosed PackageKit checks
Published Jul 29, 2024 · Updated Apr 2, 2026
Privilege escalation in PackageKit in Apple macOS 12 before 12.7.6, 13 before 13.6.8, and 14 before 14.6 allows local users to gain privileges. Apple has not disclosed which PackageKit check was insufficient or what untrusted input reaches it. Local code execution is required, and successful exploitation elevates privileges to an undisclosed level; no remote path is reported.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in PackageKit in Apple macOS 12 before 12.7.6, 13 before 13.6.8, and 14 before 14.6 allows local users to gain privileges. Apple has not disclosed which PackageKit check was insufficient or what untrusted input reaches it. Local code execution is required, and successful exploitation elevates privileges to an undisclosed level; no remote path is reported.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-40781
- Published
- Jul 29, 2024
- Updated
- Apr 2, 2026
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- macOS
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 29, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 2, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <12.7.6
- Affected versionversion=0 <13.6.8
- Affected versionversion=0 <14.6
- Affected versionversion=12.0 <12.7.6
- Affected versionversion=13.0 <13.6.8
- Affected versionversion=14.0 <14.6
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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