

The file /System/Library/Sandbox/nf generally controls which files are SIP-protected. This is especially important for red teamers and malicious actors, as the amount of damage one can do to a device’s critical components is directly based on their ability to write unrestricted data to disk. One of the most notable SIP restrictions is the filesystem restriction. Over the years, Apple has hardened SIP against attacks by improving restrictions.


csr-active-config: bitmask of enabled protections.Internally, it is controlled by the following NVRAM variables: SIP overviewįirst introduced by Apple in macOS Yosemite, SIP-also known as “rootless”-essentially locks down the system from root by leveraging the Apple sandbox to protect the entire platform. In this blog post, we will share some information about SIP, examine the common types of SIP bypasses previously disclosed, and present the unique ones we discovered. Such visibility rolls up to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, which provides organizations with a “single pane of glass” where they can detect, manage, respond, and remediate vulnerabilities and threats across different platforms.
#Apple sandbox system files mac
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac enables organizations to gain visibility and detect threats on macOS devices. As networks become increasingly heterogeneous, the number of threats that attempt to compromise non-Windows devices also increases. This OS-level vulnerability and others that will inevitably be uncovered add to the growing number of possible attack vectors for attackers to exploit.
#Apple sandbox system files install
After bypassing SIP’s restrictions, the attacker could then install a malicious kernel driver (rootkit), overwrite system files, or install persistent, undetectable malware, among others. A malicious actor could create a specially crafted file that would hijack the installation process. We found that the vulnerability lies in how Apple-signed packages with post-install scripts are installed. We discovered the vulnerability while assessing processes entitled to bypass SIP protections. SIP is a security technology in macOS that restricts a root user from performing operations that may compromise system integrity.

A fix for this vulnerability, now identified as CVE-2021-30892, was included in the security updates released by Apple on October 26, 2021. We shared these findings with Apple through Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD) via Microsoft Security Vulnerability Research (MSVR). We also found a similar technique that could allow an attacker to elevate their privileges to root an affected device. Microsoft has discovered a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to bypass System Integrity Protection (SIP) in macOS and perform arbitrary operations on a device. Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management.Microsoft Purview Information Protection.Information protection Information protection.Microsoft Priva Subject Rights Requests.Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance.Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management.Risk management & privacy Risk management & privacy.Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management.Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management.Azure Active Directory part of Microsoft Entra.
