CVE-2025-30457 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5. A malicious app may be able to create symlinks to protected regions of the disk.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical symlink validation flaw that could enable malicious applications to create symbolic links pointing to protected areas of the disk filesystem. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms that fail to properly restrict symlink creation operations, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive system regions. The vulnerability affects Apple's macOS operating system across multiple versions including Ventura 13.7.5, Sequoia 15.4, and Sonoma 14.7.5, indicating a widespread impact across the macOS ecosystem. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a privilege escalation vector that could potentially allow attackers to bypass normal filesystem access controls and gain unauthorized access to protected system resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the operating system's handling of symbolic link creation operations without adequate validation of target paths. When a malicious application creates a symlink, the system should verify that the target location is accessible and appropriate for the creating process. However, the flawed implementation allows symlinks to be created that point to protected disk regions, potentially enabling attackers to access sensitive data, system files, or execute code in restricted areas. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-59, which specifically addresses improper handling of symbolic links, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the filesystem level and could be exploited to circumvent standard access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it could enable attackers to access system-critical data or manipulate protected files. An attacker with a malicious application could potentially create symlinks that point to system configuration files, user data, or even kernel memory regions, depending on the specific implementation details. This could lead to information disclosure, system integrity compromise, or denial of service conditions. The vulnerability's exploitation potential is heightened by the fact that it affects multiple macOS versions, suggesting that a single attack vector could be used across different operating system releases. From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to enterprise environments where macOS systems are deployed and could potentially be leveraged for lateral movement or persistent access.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate deployment of the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, specifically macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.4, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.5. Organizations should prioritize patch management and ensure all macOS systems are updated to prevent exploitation. Additionally, system administrators should implement monitoring for suspicious symlink creation activities and review access controls to prevent unauthorized applications from creating symlinks to sensitive locations. The fix implemented by Apple addresses the root cause by improving symlink validation mechanisms, which aligns with security best practices for preventing privilege escalation attacks. Network security teams should also consider implementing behavioral analysis to detect anomalous symlink creation patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of robust input validation and proper access control mechanisms in operating system security design.