CVE-2025-24102 is a critical security vulnerability identified in Apple macOS and iPadOS that allows an application to determine a user’s current geographic location without proper authorization. The root cause is insufficient enforcement of access control checks related to location services, classified under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor). This vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions including Sequoia 15.3, Sonoma 14.7.3, Ventura 13.7.3, and iPadOS 17.7.4. The flaw enables an attacker to bypass normal permission models and access location data directly from an app, without requiring any privileges, user interaction, or authentication. The CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8 reflects the critical severity, highlighting that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). The impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as unauthorized location access can lead to privacy violations, targeted phishing, stalking, or broader surveillance. Although no exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability’s nature and severity make it a high priority for patching. Apple has addressed the issue by improving access checks in the affected OS versions. Organizations relying on Apple hardware and software must apply these updates promptly to mitigate risk.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses significant privacy and security risks. Unauthorized access to user location data can lead to targeted attacks such as spear phishing, physical stalking, or corporate espionage, especially for high-profile individuals or employees with access to sensitive information. The exposure of location data undermines compliance with strict European data protection regulations like GDPR, potentially resulting in legal penalties and reputational damage. Critical infrastructure operators, government agencies, and enterprises with mobile workforces using Apple devices are particularly vulnerable. The breach of location confidentiality can also facilitate lateral movement within networks if attackers correlate location with network access patterns. Furthermore, the integrity and availability impacts indicated by the CVSS score suggest that exploitation might enable further malicious actions beyond location disclosure, increasing the overall threat to organizational security posture in Europe.

1. Immediately apply the security patches released by Apple for macOS Sequoia 15.3, Sonoma 14.7.3, Ventura 13.7.3, and iPadOS 17.7.4 to ensure the improved access checks are in place. 2. Conduct an audit of installed applications on Apple devices to identify and remove any untrusted or unnecessary apps that request location permissions. 3. Enforce strict app permission policies via Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to limit location access only to essential applications. 4. Monitor device logs and network traffic for unusual access patterns or attempts to query location services. 5. Educate users about the risks of installing unverified apps and the importance of reviewing permission requests carefully. 6. Implement network segmentation and endpoint detection to reduce the impact if an attacker exploits this vulnerability. 7. Regularly review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving unauthorized location data disclosure. 8. Coordinate with legal and compliance teams to ensure data protection obligations are met in case of a breach.