CVE-2025-24176 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 01/28/2025
A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3. A local attacker may be able to elevate their privileges.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical permissions flaw that allows local attackers to escalate their privileges on affected macOS systems. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the operating system's permission handling architecture, creating a pathway for unauthorized users to gain elevated system access. The vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions including Ventura 13.7.3, Sequoia 15.3, and Sonoma 14.7.3, indicating a widespread impact across the macOS ecosystem. The root cause aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, where the system fails to properly enforce authorization checks during privilege escalation attempts.
The technical implementation of this flaw likely involves a weakness in the kernel-level permission validation processes or system call handling that allows a malicious user to bypass normal access controls. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by leveraging the insufficient validation to execute privileged operations without proper authorization. This represents a significant security gap that undermines the fundamental security model of macOS, where user privileges should be strictly enforced and validated before granting elevated access rights. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1068 suggests it operates within the privilege escalation domain, potentially enabling attackers to gain system-level control over affected systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary code with root privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could access sensitive system files, modify critical configurations, install malicious software, or establish persistent backdoors within the affected system. The local nature of the attack means that an attacker must already have access to the system, but once exploited, the impact can be catastrophic for system integrity and data confidentiality. Organizations should note that this vulnerability affects a broad range of macOS versions, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where multiple system versions may be in use.
Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the available patches for macOS Ventura 13.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 to remediate this vulnerability. System administrators should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place. Additional mitigations should include implementing strict access controls, monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation attempts, and maintaining comprehensive system logging for forensic analysis. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date system security patches and highlights the need for continuous security monitoring to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and privileged access management controls to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities within their environments.