CVE-2025-24088
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows malicious applications to bypass Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile restrictions on macOS systems. It affects organizations using MDM to enforce security policies on managed macOS devices. The flaw enables apps to override settings that should be controlled by administrative profiles.
💻 Affected Systems
- macOS
📦 What is this software?
Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of MDM security controls allowing malicious apps to disable security policies, install unauthorized software, access restricted data, and bypass compliance requirements.
Likely Case
Malicious or compromised applications bypassing specific MDM restrictions like network settings, security policies, or application controls, potentially leading to data exfiltration or unauthorized access.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application vetting, network segmentation, and additional security controls in place to detect and prevent unauthorized application behavior.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user to install and run a malicious application. The application must be specifically crafted to exploit this vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Tahoe 26
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125110
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings 2. Navigate to General > Software Update 3. Install macOS Tahoe 26 update 4. Restart the system when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Application Installation
allUse MDM to enforce application allowlisting and prevent installation of unauthorized applications
Use MDM console to configure application restrictions
Enhanced Monitoring
allImplement endpoint detection and response (EDR) to monitor for profile modification attempts
Configure EDR policies to alert on profile changes
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict application control policies to only allow trusted, signed applications
- Increase monitoring for unauthorized profile modifications and implement alerting
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version: If running version prior to Tahoe 26 and has MDM profiles installed, system is vulnerableCheck Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is Tahoe 26 or later and test MDM profile enforcement📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized profile modifications in system logs
- MDM profile override attempts
- Applications attempting to modify system settings
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network traffic from applications that should be restricted
- Connections to unauthorized endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="macos_system_logs" AND (event="profile_modification" OR event="mdm_override")