CVE-2025-24176 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS systems. The vulnerability is classified as a permissions issue that could allow a local attacker to elevate their privileges. This issue was addressed with improved validation in the latest versions of macOS, including macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, and macOS Ventura 13.7.3. This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.1, which indicates a significant risk to users who have not yet updated their systems.
Risk to organizations includes potential unauthorized access to sensitive data and resources, as the vulnerability allows an attacker to gain higher privileges than intended. This exploitation could lead to severe consequences, especially if left unaddressed. Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to mitigate the risk.
Currently, there are no known exploits associated with CVE-2025-24176, and it is not included in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. However, the absence of public exploits does not diminish the risk posed by this vulnerability, and organizations should take proactive measures to secure their systems.
Organizations are urged to address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle to avert potential attacks. The urgency of remediation is underscored by the high impact this vulnerability can have on the confidentiality and integrity of data.
Vulnerability Details
The official description of CVE-2025-24176 states: 'A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.7.3. A local attacker may be able to elevate their privileges.' The vulnerability is classified under CWE-276, which pertains to improper handling of permissions.
The CVSS score of 7.1 categorizes this vulnerability as high severity. The scoring vector indicates that it is locally exploitable, requires low complexity to exploit, and demands low privileges, with no user interaction required. The confidentiality and integrity impacts are rated as high, while availability is unaffected.
The vulnerability affects all versions of macOS prior to the respective patches, specifically versions lower than 13.7.3, 14.7.3, and 15.3 for Sequoia, Sonoma, and Ventura, respectively.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of CVE-2025-24176 lies in improper validation of permissions, allowing local attackers to exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges within the macOS environment. The attack vector is local, meaning an attacker must have physical or remote access to a system. The complexity of the attack is low, with no user interaction required for exploitation.
Given the nature of the vulnerability, the confidentiality impact is high, as attackers could access sensitive information. Similarly, the integrity impact is also high; an attacker could modify system files or settings. There is no availability impact associated with this vulnerability.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Organizations deploying affected versions of macOS face significant risks. The potential for a local attacker to escalate privileges could lead to unauthorized access to critical systems and data. This situation emphasizes the importance of maintaining an up-to-date operating system to mitigate such vulnerabilities.
The blast radius of this vulnerability is considerable, particularly in environments where macOS devices are integrated within larger network infrastructures. The urgency for remediation is high, aligning with the CVSS score of 7.1, which indicates the need for immediate action to protect organizational assets.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
All versions of macOS prior to the following patched versions are affected: macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.7.3.
Mitigation & Remediation
Organizations should prioritize applying the latest patches provided by Apple for macOS to remediate this vulnerability. Upgrading to macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, or macOS Ventura 13.7.3 will mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2025-24176.
In addition to patching, organizations are encouraged to implement network controls to limit access to systems and monitor for any anomalous behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. Continuous security testing can further assist in identifying potential weaknesses.
For comprehensive security assessments, organizations can consider engaging in penetration testing to validate the effectiveness of their security measures.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should monitor logs for indicators of unauthorized access attempts or privilege escalation activities. Behavioral anomalies that deviate from normal patterns can also signal attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
Network signatures may assist in identifying suspicious activities related to this vulnerability, and system changes should be closely monitored for any unauthorized modifications.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
CVE-2025-24176 highlights the ongoing challenges organizations face in maintaining secure environments, particularly with respect to privilege escalation vulnerabilities. This incident serves as a reminder for security teams to continually assess and enhance their security postures against evolving threats.
To further strengthen defenses, organizations can adopt best practices for secure coding and conduct regular vulnerability management to identify and remediate weaknesses before they can be exploited.
For organizations utilizing cloud environments, regular assessments such as cloud penetration testing can help ensure that all aspects of their infrastructure remain secure.
Finally, engaging with experienced security professionals through services like penetration testing methodology can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of security measures and expose potential vulnerabilities.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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