ZeroDayAlert

CVE-2024-27834: Apple Multiple Products Improper Authentication Vulnerability

Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Safari, tvOS and watchOS 10.5 contain an improper authentication vulnerability which could allow an attacker with arbitrary read and write capability to bypass pointer authentication.

Apple Multiple Products Added to KEV 2026-11-04 Federal due 2026-11-18 Known ransomware use

Required action — quoted from CISA

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

Where this comes from. The identifier, product, dates and required action above are copied verbatim from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The action plan below is written by an AI agent from that record and published automatically. AssurePort has not independently tested this vulnerability and makes no claim about whether any specific system is affected.

Who is affected

This vulnerability affects Apple's ecosystem: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Safari, tvOS and watchOS version 10.5. The flaw is an improper authentication bypass in pointer authentication, a memory-safety mechanism. An attacker who already has arbitrary read and write access to the device could exploit this to bypass pointer authentication protections. The record does not specify whether this requires local access, remote code execution, or both as a prerequisite.

How to check whether this touches you

  • List all Apple devices in your environment (iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TVs) and Safari installations, noting their current OS versions.
  • Confirm which devices are connected to corporate networks or handle sensitive data, and whether they can reach external networks or be reached from the internet.
  • Query device management tools (MDM/MAM) to report current OS versions across the fleet; note that backported security updates may exist, so version number alone is not proof of vulnerability status.
  • For macOS and iOS, inspect System Settings → General → About to confirm installed version; cross-reference against Apple's security advisories to establish which patches address CVE-2024-27834.

What to do

  1. Immediately audit your device inventory for OS version 10.5 on the affected platforms and prioritise devices that handle sensitive information or are exposed to the internet.
  2. If you cannot patch immediately, isolate affected devices from untrusted networks and restrict their ability to run untrusted applications or receive untrusted input.
  3. Review access logs and memory protection violations on affected devices for the period before patching; focus on anomalous process behaviour, crashes in security-sensitive code, or unexpected privilege escalation.
  4. Apply Apple's security updates according to CISA BOD 26-04 timelines; if patches are unavailable for your deployment model, evaluate whether the asset can be discontinued or isolated until a fix is released.
  5. Enable enhanced logging on affected devices if available (Unified Logging, Console app on macOS) to capture authentication and memory protection events for forensic review.

If you find you were exposed

Exploitation of pointer authentication bypasses typically precedes public disclosure, so assume a compromise window extends backwards from the CVE publication date. Review system logs, crash logs, and MDM records for the preceding weeks to identify suspicious activity or unexpected code execution. Because this vulnerability requires prior arbitrary read/write access, focus your retrospective hunt on how that access was gained—look for prior exploitation chains, supply-chain compromise, or physical access. Retention limits on device logs often constrain this search; prioritise devices that log to central repositories.

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Knowing it exists is not the same as knowing you are exposed.

This page can tell you that CVE-2024-27834 is being exploited. It cannot tell you whether Multiple Products is running somewhere of yours that is reachable. That question is what a scan answers.

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