CVE-2025-24258 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 05/13/2025
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.6. An app may be able to gain root privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/13/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical permissions flaw that could potentially allow malicious applications to escalate their privileges to root level access on affected macOS systems. The issue stems from insufficient restrictions in the operating system's permission model, creating a pathway for unauthorized code execution with elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of macOS including the latest Sequoia 15.4, Ventura 13.7.6, and Sonoma 14.7.6 releases, indicating a widespread impact across the macOS ecosystem. The flaw specifically enables an application to gain root privileges, which represents the highest level of system access and would allow complete control over the affected system. This type of privilege escalation vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and could enable attackers to bypass standard security controls, access sensitive data, modify system files, and potentially establish persistent access. The issue falls under the category of privilege escalation vulnerabilities, which are classified as CWE-269 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, specifically addressing improper privileges assigned to a resource. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to enterprise environments where macOS devices are used for business operations, as it could enable attackers to compromise entire networks through individual device compromise. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the flaw exists in the core operating system permissions model, making it potentially exploitable by both sophisticated adversaries and less skilled threat actors. The fix implemented in the updated macOS versions addresses the root cause by introducing additional restrictions that prevent unauthorized applications from gaining the elevated privileges necessary for root access. This remediation aligns with the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, particularly those involving application permissions and system-level access control bypass. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the security updates to protect against potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date operating systems and highlights the critical nature of permission controls in preventing unauthorized system access. Security teams should monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts and ensure that all macOS devices are updated to the patched versions to maintain system integrity and prevent potential compromise through this privilege escalation vector.