CVE-2025-24240 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
A race condition was addressed with additional validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5. An app may be able to access user-sensitive data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2025
This vulnerability represents a race condition flaw that emerged in apple's macOS operating system across multiple versions including ventura 13.7.5 sequoia 15.4 and sonoma 14.7.5. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms that allow for timing-based exploitation scenarios where malicious applications can potentially access user-sensitive data through improperly synchronized system operations. The race condition occurs when multiple processes or threads attempt to access shared resources simultaneously without proper coordination, creating windows of opportunity for unauthorized data access. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of concurrency issues and aligns with cwe-362 which specifically addresses race conditions in software systems. The flaw represents a significant security concern as it could enable attackers to exploit temporal inconsistencies in the operating system's permission handling and data access controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates how improper synchronization mechanisms can create exploitable conditions in modern operating systems. When applications attempt to access sensitive user data, the race condition allows for potential interference between legitimate system processes and malicious actors who can time their access attempts to coincide with vulnerable moments in the system's operation. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the kernel level where the privilege separation between user applications and system resources becomes critical. The fix implemented by apple involves adding additional validation checks that ensure proper resource locking and synchronization before allowing access to sensitive user data. This approach follows established security practices for mitigating race conditions and aligns with the principle of least privilege enforcement. The mitigation strategy focuses on preventing unauthorized access through improved temporal consistency in system resource management.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access concerns as it represents a potential pathway for privilege escalation and information disclosure attacks. Attackers who successfully exploit this race condition could gain access to personal user data including but not limited to documents photos and system configuration information. The vulnerability's presence across multiple macOS versions indicates a systemic issue that required coordinated patching efforts across the entire operating system ecosystem. Organizations and individual users who have not updated to the patched versions remain at risk of exploitation through various attack vectors including malicious applications that attempt to leverage the race condition for unauthorized data access. This vulnerability highlights the importance of timely patch management and system updates in maintaining operational security. The fix demonstrates apple's approach to addressing concurrency-related security issues through enhanced validation rather than complete architectural redesign, which is consistent with industry best practices for maintaining system stability while improving security.
From an attack perspective this vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the attack pattern taxonomy where adversaries leverage system weaknesses to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The timing-based nature of the exploit means that attackers must carefully coordinate their actions to maximize the probability of successful exploitation. This type of vulnerability often requires sophisticated attack techniques and may be classified under advanced persistent threat patterns where attackers seek to maintain long-term access to target systems. The remediation approach implemented by apple focuses on strengthening the validation mechanisms that govern access to sensitive resources, which directly addresses the root cause rather than merely patching symptoms. The security community recognizes such vulnerabilities as particularly challenging because they require deep understanding of system internals and proper synchronization mechanisms to both exploit and defend against effectively. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of concurrency control in modern operating systems and the need for comprehensive security testing that includes timing-based attack scenarios.