CVE-2025-24232
📋 TL;DR
A state management vulnerability in macOS allows malicious applications to bypass file access restrictions and read arbitrary files on the system. This affects macOS Ventura, Sequoia, and Sonoma versions before the patched releases. Any user running unpatched macOS versions is vulnerable to local privilege escalation and data exposure.
💻 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 →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 →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 a malicious app gains full read access to all files, including sensitive system files, user data, credentials, and encryption keys, potentially leading to identity theft, data exfiltration, or further system exploitation.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation where a malicious application accesses user files, documents, browser data, and other sensitive information without proper authorization, violating user privacy and potentially stealing credentials.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper application sandboxing and security controls are enforced, restricting malicious apps from executing or accessing critical system resources.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to install/run a malicious application. The vulnerability is in state management, suggesting relatively straightforward exploitation once malicious code is executed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122373
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings. 2. Click General. 3. Click Software Update. 4. Install available updates. 5. Restart when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Application Installation
allOnly install applications from trusted sources like the Mac App Store or identified developers in System Settings.
Enable Gatekeeper
allEnsure Gatekeeper is enabled to block apps from unidentified developers.
sudo spctl --master-enable
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application allowlisting to only permit trusted applications to run.
- Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor for suspicious file access patterns.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version in System Settings > General > About. If version is Ventura <13.7.5, Sequoia <15.4, or Sonoma <14.7.5, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
After update, verify macOS version shows Ventura 13.7.5, Sequoia 15.4, or Sonoma 14.7.5 or later.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file access patterns by non-system applications in Unified Logs
- Applications accessing files outside their sandbox boundaries
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound data transfers following local file access
SIEM Query:
process_access_file AND (process_path NOT CONTAINS "/System/") AND (file_path CONTAINS "/Users/" OR file_path CONTAINS "/Library/")