TCC on macOS isn't just an annoying prompt—it's the last line of defense between malware and your private data. Read this article to learn why.
Lately, I have been reporting many vulnerabilities in third-party applications that allowed for TCC bypass, and I have discovered that most vendors do not understand why they should care. For them, it seems like just an annoying and unnecessary prompt. Even security professionals tasked with vulnerability triage frequently struggle to understand TCC’s role in protecting macOS users’ privacy against malware.
Honestly, I don’t blame them for that because, two years ago, I also didn’t understand the purpose of those “irritating” pop-up notifications. It wasn’t until I started writing malware for macOS. I realized how much trouble an attacker faces because of TCC in actually harming a victim. I wrote this article for Application Developers in mind so that, after reading it, they do not underestimate the vulnerabilities that allow bypassing TCC. It is also intended for Vulnerability Researchers to illustrate an attack vector for further research.
Apple rolls out iOS and macOS platform updates to fix serious security bugs that could be triggered simply by opening an image or video file.
Apple on Monday pushed out patches for security vulnerabilities across the macOS, iPhone and iPad software stack, warning that code-execution bugs that could be triggered simply by opening a rigged image, video or website.
The new iOS 18.5 update, rolled out alongside patches for iPadOS, covers critical bugs in AppleJPEG and CoreMedia with a major warning from Cupertino that attackers could craft malicious media files to run arbitrary code with the privileges of the targeted app.
The company also documented serious file-parsing vulnerabilities patched in CoreAudio, CoreGraphics, and ImageIO, each capable of crashing apps or leaking data if booby-trapped content is opened.
The iOS 18.5 update also provides cover for at least 9 documented WebKit flaws, some serious enough to lead to exploits that allow a hostile website to execute code or crash the Safari browser engine.
The company also patched a serious ‘mute-button’ flaw in FaceTime that exposes the audio conversation even after muting the microphone.
Beneath the interface, Apple said iOS 18.5 hardens the kernel against two memory-corruption issues and cleans up a libexpat flaw (CVE-2024-8176) that affects a broad range of software projects.
Other notable fixes include an issue in Baseband (CVE-2025-31214) that allows attackers in a privileged network position to intercept traffic on the new iPhone 16e line; a privilege escalation bug in mDNSResponder (CVE-2025-31222); an issue in Notes that expose data from a locked iPhone screen; and security gaps in FrontBoard, iCloud Document Sharing, and Mail Addressing.
It's time to update your Macs again! This time, I'm not burying the lede. CVE-2025-31250, which was patched in today's release of macOS Sequoia 15.5, allowed for…
…any Application A to make macOS show a permission consent prompt…
…appearing as if it were coming from any Application B…
…with the results of the user's consent response being applied to any Application C.
These did not have to be different applications. In fact, in most normal uses, they would all likely be the same application. Even a case where Applications B and C were the same but different than Application A would be relatively safe (if somewhat useless from Application A's perspective). However, prior to this vulnerability being patched, a lack of validation allowed for Application B (the app the prompt appears to be from) to be different than Application C (the actual application the user's consent response is applied to).
Spoofing these kinds of prompts is not exactly new. In fact, the HackTricks wiki has had a tutorial on how to perform a similar trick on their site for a while. However, their method requires:
the building of an entire fake app in a temporary directory,
the overriding of a shortcut on the Dock, and
the simple hoping that the user clicks on the (now) fake shortcut.
This vulnerability requires none of the above.
TCC
As I explained in my first ever article on this site, TCC is the core permissions system built into Apple's operating systems. It is used by sending messages to the tccd daemon (or rather, by using functions in the private TCC framework). The framework is a private API, so developers don't call the functions directly (instead, public API's call the functions under-the-hood as needed). However, all this wrapping cannot hide the fact that the control mechanism is still simply sending messages to the daemon.
The daemon uses Apple's public (but proprietary) XPC API for messaging (specifically the lower-level dictionary-based API). Prior to this vulnerability being patched, any app with the ability to send XPC messages to tccd could send it a specifically-crafted message that, as described above, would make it display a permission prompt as if it were from one app but then apply the user's response to a completely separate app. But how was this possible, and was it even hard? Before I answer these questions, we need to detour into what will, at first, seem like a completely unrelated topic.
Kandji researchers uncovered and disclosed key macOS vulnerabilities over the past year. Learn how we protect customers through detection and patching.
When we discover weaknesses before attackers do, everyone wins. History has shown that vulnerabilities like Gatekeeper bypass and TCC bypass zero-days don't remain theoretical for long—both of these recent vulnerabilities were exploited in the wild by macOS malware. By investing heavily in new security research, we're helping strengthen macOS for everyone.
Once reported to Apple, the fix for these vulnerabilities is not always obvious. Depending on the complexity, it can take a few months to over a year, especially if it requires major architectural changes to the operating system. Apple’s vulnerability disclosure program has been responsive and effective.
Of course, we don't just report issues and walk away. We ensure our products can detect these vulnerabilities and protect our customers from potential exploitation while waiting for official patches.
In March 2025, our team found a suspicious mach-O file named wsus. Read the full analysis on its likely origins, target users, and observed functionality.
Apple finally adds TCC events to Endpoint Security!
Since the majority of macOS malware circumvents TCC through explicit user approval, it would be incredibly helpful for any security tool to detect this — and possibly override the user’s risky decision. Until now the best (only?) option was to ingest log messages generated by the TCC subsystem. This approach was implemented in a tool dubbed Kronos, written by Calum Hall Luke Roberts (now, of Phorion fame). Unfortunately, as they note, this approach did have it drawbacks:
Key findings Proofpoint identified and named two new cybercriminal threat actors operating components of web inject campaigns, TA2726 and TA2727. Proofpoint identified a new
Uncover the details of CVE-2025-24118, a critical vulnerability in Apple's MacOS. Understand the risks and the patched versions.
DPRK 'Contagious Interview' campaign continues to target Mac users with new variants of FERRET malware and Github devs with repo spam.
Third-party scripts are a key part of the supply chain, giving 3rd party access to sensitive data or allowing malicious actions in the browser of your user. c/side helps you regain control over your website.
Learn about the key macOS malware families from 2024, including tactics, IoCs, opportunities for detection, and links to further reading.
Since September, Check Point Research has been monitoring a new version of the Banshee macOS stealer, a malware linked to Russian-speaking cyber criminals targeting macOS users.
This new version had been undetected for over two months until the original version of Banshee Stealer was leaked on XSS forums, which resembled similarities with the malware’s core functionality.
One notable difference between the leaked source code and the version discovered by Check Point Research is the use of a string encryption algorithm. This algorithm is the same as Apple uses in its Xprotect antivirus engine for MacOS.
One method of distributing Banshee Stealer involved malicious GitHub repositories, targeting Windows users with Lumma Stealer and macOS users with Banshee Stealer.
Banshee operated as a ‘stealer-as-a-service’, priced at $3,000, and was advertised through Telegram and forums such as XSS and Exploit. On November 23, 2024, the malware’s source code was leaked, leading the author to shut down the operations the following day.
Despite shutting down the operation, threat actors continue to distribute the new version of Banshee via phishing websites.
Executive Summary: Since September, Check Point Research (CPR) has been monitoring a new version of the Banshee macOS Stealer, a malware that steals
Apple recently addressed a macOS vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass System Integrity Protection (SIP) and install malicious kernel drivers by loading third-party kernel extensions.
#Apple #Computer #InfoSec #Integrity #Microsoft #Protection #SIP #Security #System #Vulnerability #macOS
Apple's macOS has been under siege in 2024 as malware-as-a-service platforms and AI-driven threats make the year a turning point for Mac security.
A deep dive into macOS malware this year.
Cado Security Labs details the discovery of a new cross-platform information stealer malware dubbed "Meeten" targeting macOS and Windows users.
We uncover macOS lateral movement tactics, such as SSH key misuse and AppleScript exploitation. Strategies to counter this attack trend are also discussed. We uncover macOS lateral movement tactics, such as SSH key misuse and AppleScript exploitation. Strategies to counter this attack trend are also discussed.
I recently realised that I still owe you guys some writeups, so since OBTSv7 is around the corner here's the one for badmalloc. I found this back in March 2023, and it got fixed in October. About the bug There's a bug in MallocStackLogging, Apple's "magical" framework that allows developers …
The Banshee Stealer macOS malware operation, which emerged earlier this year, was reportedly shut down following a source code leak.
