CVE-2025-31182 in visionOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
This issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. This issue is fixed in visionOS 2.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5. An app may be able to delete files for which it does not have permission.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical symlink handling flaw that enables unauthorized file deletion operations through improper permission checks within Apple's operating systems. The issue stems from insufficient validation of symbolic link resolution processes, allowing malicious applications to traverse file system boundaries and delete files they would normally lack authorization to access. This weakness particularly affects systems where symlink traversal is not properly sandboxed or restricted, creating potential attack vectors for privilege escalation and data destruction.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in how the operating system resolves symbolic links during file operations without adequate permission verification. When an application attempts to delete a file through a symlink, the system should validate that the requesting process has proper authorization not just for the symlink itself but for the target file. This flaw allows attackers to craft malicious symlink structures that bypass standard permission checks, effectively enabling arbitrary file deletion across system boundaries. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple platforms including visionOS, macOS, tvOS, iOS, and iPadOS, indicating a systemic issue in the underlying file system access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized file deletion to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation, data corruption, and system integrity compromise. Attackers could exploit this weakness to remove critical system files, disable security features, or manipulate application data in ways that could lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability particularly threatens environments where applications with limited permissions might be tricked into following malicious symlinks, creating a pathway for unauthorized access to protected system resources. This issue aligns with CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory) and CWE-23 (Relative Path Traversal) categories, which specifically address improper handling of file system paths and symbolic links.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate system updates to the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, which include visionOS 2.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.5. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of file system operations and symlink creation activities, particularly in environments where applications have elevated privileges or operate in multi-user scenarios. Additional defensive measures include implementing stricter sandboxing policies, regular security audits of symlink usage, and maintaining updated intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious file deletion patterns. The fix addresses this issue through enhanced symlink resolution logic that properly validates access permissions at each level of the symbolic link chain, preventing the bypass of standard file system security controls that would normally restrict unauthorized file operations.