CVE-2025-31191 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in 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 access sensitive user data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2025
This vulnerability represents a significant security weakness in Apple's operating systems that was resolved through enhanced state management protocols. The issue specifically allowed malicious applications to potentially access sensitive user data, creating a serious privacy and security risk for affected systems. The vulnerability affected multiple Apple platforms including macOS Ventura, tvOS, iOS, and iPadOS across several versions, indicating a widespread impact that required coordinated patching efforts. The fix implemented by Apple addressed fundamental state management flaws that could have enabled unauthorized data access through improper application sandboxing or memory management.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure flaws that can be categorized as CWE-200, which deals with exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor. The issue likely involved improper state transitions or memory handling that allowed applications to bypass normal security boundaries and access data that should have been restricted. This type of vulnerability often stems from inadequate validation of application states or insufficient isolation mechanisms between different processes and data contexts. The fix through improved state management suggests that the underlying problem was related to how the operating system tracked and controlled application states, particularly in scenarios where applications might have been able to maintain or regain access to previously restricted data contexts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft, personal information harvesting, or even privilege escalation attacks. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to user files, communications, or other sensitive data stored on affected systems. The multi-platform nature of the vulnerability means that users across Apple's ecosystem were potentially at risk, requiring coordinated updates across different device types and operating system versions. Security researchers and threat actors would have been particularly interested in this vulnerability due to its potential for widespread exploitation across Apple's consumer and enterprise user base.
The mitigation strategy implemented by Apple involved comprehensive state management improvements across all affected platforms, requiring users to update to specific versions including macOS Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.5. These updates likely included enhanced memory protection mechanisms, improved application sandboxing protocols, and stricter state validation routines. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of these security patches to protect their systems from potential exploitation, as the vulnerability could have been leveraged by threat actors to conduct targeted attacks or mass data harvesting operations. The remediation approach aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and credential access, suggesting that the vulnerability could have been exploited to gain deeper system access than initially intended.