CVE-2025-24140
📋 TL;DR
This macOS vulnerability allows downloaded files to bypass the quarantine flag, which normally triggers security warnings before execution. This affects macOS users who download files from the internet, potentially allowing malicious files to run without user warnings.
💻 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
Users unknowingly execute malware downloaded from the internet without receiving Gatekeeper security warnings, leading to full system compromise.
Likely Case
Users download and execute files that appear legitimate but contain malware, with reduced security warnings increasing infection risk.
If Mitigated
Users still receive some security warnings through other macOS protections, but the primary quarantine warning is missing.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to download and execute files, but bypasses important security warnings.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Sequoia 15.3
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122068
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings 2. Click General 3. Click Software Update 4. Install macOS Sequoia 15.3 or later 5. Restart when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Manual quarantine flag application
allManually apply quarantine flag to downloaded files using xattr command
xattr -w com.apple.quarantine "0001;$(uuidgen);$(whoami);$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" filename
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Only download files from trusted sources and verify checksums
- Use third-party security software to scan downloaded files before execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version: if before Sequoia 15.3, system is vulnerableCheck Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is Sequoia 15.3 or later and test downloading a file to ensure quarantine warning appears📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file execution without quarantine warnings in system logs
- Files executed from Downloads folder without proper quarantine attributes
Network Indicators:
- Downloads from untrusted sources followed by immediate execution
SIEM Query:
process where (parent.name contains "Safari" or parent.name contains "Chrome" or parent.name contains "Firefox") and process.args contains "Downloads" and not process.args contains "quarantine"