CVE-2025-24135
📋 TL;DR
A privilege escalation vulnerability in macOS allows malicious applications to gain elevated system privileges. This affects macOS systems before Sequoia 15.3. Attackers could potentially execute arbitrary code with higher permissions than intended.
💻 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 system compromise where an attacker gains root privileges, installs persistent malware, accesses sensitive data, and controls the entire system.
Likely Case
Local attacker gains elevated privileges to bypass security controls, install additional malicious software, or access protected system resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing, least privilege principles, and security monitoring in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to run malicious application or social engineering.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Sequoia 15.3
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122068
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings 2. Click General 3. Click Software Update 4. Install macOS Sequoia 15.3 or later
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Application Restriction
allRestrict installation and execution of untrusted applications
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict application allowlisting policies
- Enforce least privilege principles for user accounts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version in System Settings > General > AboutCheck Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is 15.3 or later📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events in system logs
- Unauthorized process execution with elevated privileges
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
process where parent_process_name contains 'launchd' and process_name not in allowed_apps_list