CVE-2025-30461 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
An access issue was addressed with additional sandbox restrictions on the system pasteboards. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4. An app may be able to access protected user data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-30461 represents a critical access control flaw within macOS systems that affects the sandboxing mechanisms governing system pasteboard functionality. This issue stems from insufficient restrictions on how applications can interact with the system clipboard and pasteboard services, which are fundamental components used for data transfer between applications. The pasteboard system serves as a centralized repository for copied data that can include sensitive information such as passwords, personal messages, financial data, and other protected user content. When properly sandboxed, applications should be restricted from accessing data that belongs to other applications or system processes, but this vulnerability creates a pathway for unauthorized data access.
The technical flaw manifests in the inadequate sandbox restrictions that govern pasteboard access controls, allowing malicious or compromised applications to potentially read protected data from the system clipboard. This vulnerability operates at the operating system level and affects the core security architecture that separates application processes from each other and from system resources. The pasteboard service in macOS is designed to facilitate legitimate cross-application data transfer while maintaining strict security boundaries, but the flaw in the sandbox implementation permits unauthorized access to clipboard contents that should remain protected. This represents a violation of the principle of least privilege and undermines the fundamental security model that macOS employs to isolate applications from each other and from sensitive system resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it creates potential for significant privacy violations and data theft. Attackers could exploit this weakness to harvest sensitive information from users' clipboard contents, including but not limited to passwords, API keys, personal identification numbers, and confidential communications. The vulnerability's exploitation could occur through malicious applications that are granted legitimate system access but then abuse their privileges to access clipboard data from other applications. This issue particularly affects scenarios where users copy sensitive data such as login credentials, financial information, or personal messages, as these contents could be intercepted by unauthorized applications. The vulnerability's presence in macOS systems creates a persistent threat vector that could be leveraged in various attack scenarios, including credential theft, data exfiltration, and targeted information gathering.
The fix for CVE-2025-30461 addresses this vulnerability by implementing additional sandbox restrictions on system pasteboards, effectively strengthening the security boundaries around clipboard access. This remediation aligns with the security principle of defense in depth and represents a critical update to macOS's application sandboxing framework. The macOS Sequoia 15.4 update introduces enhanced access controls that prevent applications from accessing clipboard data that belongs to other processes or system components. This fix specifically targets the sandboxing mechanisms that govern pasteboard interactions and enforces stricter access controls that align with industry standards for secure application development and operating system security. Organizations should prioritize deployment of this update to protect against potential exploitation of this access control weakness.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and represents a specific implementation weakness in macOS's security architecture. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this issue corresponds to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, as it allows for unauthorized access to sensitive data that would typically be protected by system security controls. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws in core operating system services can create significant security risks, particularly when they affect fundamental system components like pasteboard services that are used extensively throughout the operating system. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of broader threat modeling exercises for macOS environments, particularly in scenarios involving privileged applications or systems handling sensitive data.