CVE-2025-31186 – This CVE describes a permissions vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-31186?

CVE-2025-31186 has a CVSS score of 3.3 (LOW). This CVE describes a permissions vulnerability in Xcode that allows applications to bypass macOS Privacy preferences. This affects developers using Xcode to build applications, potentially allowing their apps to access restricted system resources without user consent. The vulnerability could impact end users if they run applications built with vulnerable Xcode versions.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a permissions vulnerability in Xcode that allows applications to bypass macOS Privacy preferences. This affects developers using Xcode to build applications, potentially allowing their apps to access restricted system resources without user consent. The vulnerability could impact end users if they run applications built with vulnerable Xcode versions.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Xcode

Versions: Versions before Xcode 16.3

Operating Systems: macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects Xcode development environments on macOS. Applications built with vulnerable Xcode versions may inherit the vulnerability.

📦 What is this software?

Xcode by Apple

View all CVEs affecting Xcode →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Malicious applications could access sensitive user data (camera, microphone, location, contacts) without permission, leading to privacy violations and potential data exfiltration.

🟠

Likely Case

Applications unintentionally bypass privacy controls, accessing resources they shouldn't, potentially violating user privacy expectations.

🟢

If Mitigated

Applications respect privacy preferences as intended, requiring explicit user consent for sensitive resource access.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is primarily a development tool vulnerability affecting application behavior, not directly internet-exposed services.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Affects development environments and applications built with vulnerable Xcode, potentially impacting internal development workflows and application security.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires building or modifying applications using vulnerable Xcode. No public exploit details available.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Xcode 16.3

Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122380

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Open App Store on macOS. 2. Search for Xcode updates. 3. Install Xcode 16.3 or later. 4. Rebuild any applications with the updated Xcode.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Temporary Xcode Downgrade Prevention

all

Prevent downgrading to vulnerable Xcode versions by removing older installations

sudo rm -rf /Applications/Xcode_old_version.app

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Audit applications built with vulnerable Xcode versions for privacy compliance
Implement additional application sandboxing and runtime monitoring

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Xcode version in About Xcode menu or run: xcodebuild -version

Check Version:

xcodebuild -version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify Xcode version is 16.3 or later using xcodebuild -version

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Console logs showing unexpected privacy permission grants
Application privacy violation reports

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from applications accessing unexpected resources

SIEM Query:

Application requesting camera/microphone/location permissions without user prompt

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-31186

CVSS v3 Score: 3.3 (LOW)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CWE: CWE-284

EPSS Score: 0.01% exploit probability (2.1th percentile)

Published: January 16, 2026

Last Updated: January 27, 2026

🔗 References

https://support.apple.com/en-us/122380 Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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