CVE-2025-24214 in visionOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
A privacy issue was addressed by not logging contents of text fields. This issue is fixed in visionOS 2.4, iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, tvOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2025
This vulnerability represents a privacy flaw in Apple's operating systems where sensitive text field contents were being logged without proper sanitization. The issue stems from insufficient data handling practices during logging operations, potentially exposing user input to unauthorized parties through system logs. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple platforms including visionOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS, indicating a widespread systemic concern in how text input data is processed and stored within the system logging infrastructure. This represents a significant privacy risk as it allows malicious applications to potentially access sensitive user data that was previously thought to be protected through proper input handling.
The technical implementation flaw involves the logging subsystem failing to properly sanitize or filter text field contents before storing them in system logs. This creates an attack surface where applications could potentially access these logs and extract sensitive information such as passwords, personal messages, financial data, or other confidential text input. The vulnerability exists because the logging mechanism does not distinguish between regular text input and sensitive user data, leading to improper storage of confidential information in accessible log files. From a cybersecurity perspective, this issue aligns with CWE-532 which addresses information exposure through logging mechanisms, and represents a failure in proper data classification and handling practices. The vulnerability demonstrates a lack of input validation and data sanitization in the logging pipeline, creating a path for information leakage that violates fundamental privacy principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond individual user privacy concerns to potentially enable broader surveillance capabilities for malicious actors. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gain access to sensitive information through log file enumeration or by leveraging applications with appropriate permissions to read system logs. The vulnerability affects all affected Apple platforms and represents a persistent risk since the logging infrastructure would continue to store sensitive data until the patch is applied. Organizations using these systems face potential compliance violations under data protection regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA, as user data is being stored in an insecure manner within system logs. The issue also impacts the overall security posture of Apple's ecosystem by creating potential attack vectors that could be leveraged in combination with other vulnerabilities to escalate privileges or access additional sensitive information.
Apple's resolution of this vulnerability through updates to visionOS 2.4, iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, tvOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 demonstrates proper vulnerability remediation through system patching. The fix likely involves implementing proper data sanitization in the logging subsystem to prevent sensitive text field contents from being stored in system logs, thereby addressing the root cause of the privacy exposure. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of these security updates across all affected systems to mitigate the risk of sensitive data exposure. Security practitioners should also implement additional monitoring for log file access patterns and consider implementing log file access controls as additional defensive measures. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and data exposure through system artifacts, and represents a critical weakness in the logging and data handling components of Apple's security architecture. The fix addresses the fundamental issue of improper data handling in system infrastructure, aligning with security best practices for protecting sensitive information through proper data classification and secure logging mechanisms.