Executive Summary

This vulnerability in Arduino IDE for macOS (up to version 2.3.6) is caused by overly permissive security entitlements that bypass macOS Hardened Runtime protections. This allows attackers with local low-privilege access to inject malicious dynamic libraries into the Arduino IDE process. As a result, attackers can gain access to all Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) permissions granted to the application, potentially compromising confidentiality and integrity within the system. The issue is fixed in version 2.3.7 by correcting the entitlements to prevent such dynamic library injection. [1]

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Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability allows an attacker with local low-privilege access to inject malicious code into the Arduino IDE process, gaining access to all TCC permissions granted to the application. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or system components controlled by these permissions, resulting in low confidentiality and integrity loss. There is no impact on system availability. The exploitation requires no user interaction and has low complexity. [1]

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by checking the version of the Arduino IDE installed on macOS systems. Versions prior to 2.3.7 are vulnerable. Additionally, inspecting the security entitlements of the Arduino IDE application for overly permissive settings that allow dynamic library injection can help detect the issue. Specific commands to check the version include running `arduino --version` or checking the application info. To inspect entitlements, you can use the macOS command `codesign -d --entitlements :- /path/to/Arduino.app`. Look for entitlements that bypass Hardened Runtime protections or allow dynamic library injection. [1]

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Mitigation Strategies

The immediate mitigation step is to update the Arduino IDE on macOS to version 2.3.7 or later, where the security entitlements have been corrected to prevent dynamic library injection and Hardened Runtime bypass. Until the update can be applied, restrict local access to the system to trusted users only, as exploitation requires local access with low privileges. [1]

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Compliance Impact

The provided information does not specify any direct impact of this vulnerability on compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA. [1]

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