CVE-2025-31244
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a file quarantine bypass vulnerability in macOS that allows applications to escape their sandbox restrictions. The vulnerability affects macOS systems before version 15.5, potentially enabling malicious apps to access restricted system resources and user data.
💻 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
A malicious application could completely escape macOS sandboxing, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive user data, system files, and potentially executing arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
Likely Case
Malicious apps distributed outside the App Store could bypass security controls to access user files, keychain data, or other protected resources they shouldn't have access to.
If Mitigated
With proper security controls like Gatekeeper enabled and only installing apps from trusted sources, the risk is significantly reduced as the vulnerability requires user interaction to install malicious software.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to install and run a malicious application. The vulnerability bypasses file quarantine checks but still requires initial execution.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Sequoia 15.5
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122716
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings 2. Click General 3. Click Software Update 4. Install macOS Sequoia 15.5 update 5. Restart when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Enable Gatekeeper Strict Mode
macosConfigure Gatekeeper to only allow apps from the App Store and identified developers
sudo spctl --master-enable
sudo spctl --enable --label "Mac App Store"
sudo spctl --enable --label "Developer ID"
Disable Automatic Opening of Safe Files
macosPrevent Safari from automatically opening 'safe' files after download
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Only install applications from the official Mac App Store or trusted developers with valid signatures
- Enable FileVault encryption to protect data at rest in case of successful exploitation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version in System Settings > General > About. If version is earlier than 15.5, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is 15.5 or later in System Settings > General > About📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file access patterns from sandboxed applications
- Applications attempting to access files outside their designated containers
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from sandboxed applications
SIEM Query:
process where parent_process_name contains "sandbox" and file_access outside of container_path