New Unpatched macOS Zero-day Flaw Allows Attackers to Read Passwords in Plain Text & System Data

A security researcher revealed a new critical macOS Zero-day vulnerability in the keychain that is integrated into macOS allows an attacker to read all the Stored passwords in plain text.

Keychain Access is a macOS app that stores your passwords and account information and reduces the number of passwords you have to remember and manage whenever you access a website, email account, network server, or other password-protected items.

In this case, There is no admin or root permission needed in order to access the passwords from the keychain and the simple local user access is enough to exploit this Vulnerability.

This unpatched macOS Zero-day vulnerability affected the current Version of the macOS 10.14.3 and older versions.

In order to Exploits this macOS Zero-day Vulnerability, hackers could hide the keychain exploit in a legitimate app Or a user could be directed to a webpage that would launch rogue code.

Also Hanze said that, he could create an app that was able to read what was in the keychain without requiring explicit permission from the victim. His mock malware didn’t require special privileges, like administrator-level permissions. “Running a simple app is all that’s required,”

No Bug Bounty Program for macOS

Apple currently doesn’t provide any bug bounty program for macOS flaws, so Security researcher, Linus Henze stats that ” I won’t release this. The reason is simple: Apple still has no bug bounty program (for macOS), so blame them. “

In this case, Linus published a proof-of-concept Video where he demonstrates the 0day exploit that allows extracting all your (local) keychain passwords on macOS Mojave .

Also he said, This is not the first time. You might remember KeychainStealer from @patrickwardle, released 2017 for macOS High Sierra, which can also steal all your keychain passwords. While the vulnerability he used is already patched, the one I found still works, even in macOS Mojave.

Former NSA analyst testing the exploit said to Forbes , “It’s a little disheartening that Apple can’t figure out how to secure the keychain. What’s the point of creating something to store all the most sensitive information on the system if that mechanism itself is consistently insecure.”

Linus continuously refuses to provide the further details about the bug since then Apple researched him “Even if it looks like I’m doing this just for money, this is not my motivation at all in this case,” said Henze. “My motivation is to get Apple to create a bug bounty program. I think that this is the best for both Apple and Researchers.”  He said to ZDNet.

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