CVE-2025-30465 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.7.5, iPadOS 17.7.6, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5. A shortcut may be able to access files that are normally inaccessible to the Shortcuts app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical permissions flaw in apple's operating systems that allows unauthorized file access through the shortcuts application. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the system's access control framework, enabling malicious shortcuts to bypass normal security boundaries and retrieve files that should remain restricted to authorized applications only. The vulnerability affects multiple operating system versions including macos ventura 13.7.5 ipados 17.7.6 macos sequoia 15.4 and macos sonoma 14.7.5, indicating a widespread impact across apple's ecosystem. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a privilege escalation vulnerability that could potentially allow attackers to gain access to sensitive user data, personal files, and system resources that are normally protected by the operating system's security model.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the shortcuts application's inability to properly validate file access requests against the system's permission model. This allows shortcuts to make requests that would normally be rejected by the operating system's security framework, effectively creating a backdoor for unauthorized data access. The vulnerability falls under the cwe category of improper access control, specifically cwe-284 which addresses insufficient access control mechanisms. This weakness enables an attacker to exploit the system's trust in the shortcuts application to access files that should be restricted based on user permissions and application sandboxing policies. The flaw demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege, where the shortcuts application can access resources beyond its normal operational requirements.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access and represents a significant threat to user privacy and system integrity. Attackers could potentially craft malicious shortcuts that automatically access sensitive documents, photos, emails, or other personal data stored on affected systems. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that shortcuts are designed to automate user tasks and may be executed without explicit user confirmation in certain contexts. This vulnerability could be exploited through social engineering campaigns where users unknowingly download and execute malicious shortcuts, or through targeted attacks that leverage the system's trust in legitimate shortcut execution. The risk is amplified by the fact that many users may not be aware of the potential for such privilege escalation through seemingly harmless automation tools.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate system updates to the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, which include macos ventura 13.7.5 ipados 17.7.6 macos sequoia 15.4 and macos sonoma 14.7.5. Organizations should implement comprehensive endpoint protection measures that monitor for suspicious shortcut execution patterns and file access behaviors. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and establish monitoring protocols for unauthorized file access events. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the risks of executing shortcuts from untrusted sources and the importance of verifying the legitimacy of automation tools before installation. The remediation process should also include reviewing system logs for evidence of unauthorized file access attempts and implementing network monitoring to detect potential data exfiltration activities. From an att&ck framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and potentially information discovery tactics, requiring security teams to monitor for these specific threat patterns in their defensive operations.