CVE-2025-0140 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect App specifically on macOS devices. The vulnerability stems from an incorrect privilege assignment (CWE-266) that allows a locally authenticated user without administrative rights to disable the GlobalProtect VPN client. Normally, the app's configuration should prevent non-administrative users from disabling it, but due to this flaw, such restrictions can be bypassed. This issue is confined to the macOS version of the GlobalProtect App, affecting versions 6.0.0 through 6.3.0. Other platforms including Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, and the UWP app are not impacted. The vulnerability does not require user interaction and can be exploited by any local user with standard privileges, making it a local privilege escalation of sorts that undermines the integrity and availability of the VPN client. The CVSS v4.0 base score is 6.8, reflecting a medium severity level, with the attack vector being local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required beyond local user (PR:L), and no user interaction (UI:N). The impact is primarily on availability (VA:H) and confidentiality (V:D), as disabling the VPN client could allow users to bypass network security policies and potentially access unauthorized network resources. No known exploits are currently in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that organizations should be vigilant and prepare for remediation once available.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to endpoint security posture, especially in environments where GlobalProtect is deployed to enforce strict network access controls and data protection policies. Disabling the VPN client could allow unauthorized network access or data exfiltration, undermining compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations. The threat is heightened in organizations with macOS endpoints used by employees or contractors who have local user accounts but are not administrators. Attackers or malicious insiders could exploit this vulnerability to circumvent VPN-enforced security controls, potentially leading to lateral movement within corporate networks or exposure of sensitive data. This could impact sectors with high regulatory requirements such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not trivially exploitable remotely, the local access requirement means that physical or remote access to a user account is necessary, which is a realistic scenario in many corporate environments.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Enforce strict endpoint access controls and limit local user account privileges to the minimum necessary, reducing the pool of users who could exploit this vulnerability. 2) Monitor macOS endpoints for unexpected GlobalProtect service stoppages or disablement events using endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools or system logs. 3) Employ application whitelisting or macOS system integrity protection features to prevent unauthorized modifications to the GlobalProtect app or its services. 4) Educate users about the importance of maintaining VPN connectivity and reporting any unusual behavior. 5) Coordinate with Palo Alto Networks for timely patch deployment once available, and consider temporary compensating controls such as network-level enforcement of VPN usage or multi-factor authentication for network access. 6) Review and tighten local user policies and consider restricting local account creation or usage on macOS devices where possible. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on the local privilege aspect and macOS-specific controls.