CVE-2025-24183 is a local privilege vulnerability affecting Apple macOS operating systems, specifically versions prior to macOS Ventura 13.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 where the issue has been addressed. The vulnerability allows a local user with limited privileges (low-level privileges) to modify protected parts of the file system. This is due to insufficient access control checks that previously allowed unauthorized modification of critical system files or directories that are normally protected to maintain system integrity. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-269, which relates to improper privilege management. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5 (medium severity), with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no confidentiality impact (C:N), high integrity impact (I:H), and no availability impact (A:N). This means an attacker with local access can alter system files, potentially leading to system instability, unauthorized persistence, or further privilege escalation, but cannot directly affect confidentiality or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The issue was resolved by Apple through improved access control checks in the specified macOS versions.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily in environments where macOS devices are used and where local user accounts may be accessible to untrusted individuals or where endpoint security is lax. The ability for a local user to modify protected system files can lead to unauthorized persistence mechanisms, tampering with security controls, or facilitating further privilege escalation attacks. This could compromise the integrity of critical systems, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security mechanisms or deploy malicious code that persists across reboots. While confidentiality and availability are not directly impacted, the integrity compromise can lead to broader security incidents, including data manipulation or disruption of business processes. Organizations with macOS endpoints in sectors such as finance, government, or critical infrastructure should be particularly vigilant, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain footholds or maintain persistence. The lack of required user interaction and low complexity of exploitation increase the risk in environments where local access is possible, such as shared workstations, remote desktop sessions, or compromised user accounts.

European organizations should prioritize patching affected macOS systems by upgrading to macOS Ventura 13.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, or macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 or later as soon as possible. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict local user account management policies, including minimizing the number of users with local access, enforcing strong authentication mechanisms, and regularly auditing local accounts and permissions. Endpoint protection solutions should be configured to detect anomalous file system modifications and alert on unauthorized changes to protected system directories. Employing application whitelisting and integrity monitoring tools can help detect and prevent unauthorized modifications. Additionally, organizations should restrict physical and remote access to macOS devices to trusted personnel only and consider implementing macOS-specific security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and FileVault encryption to reduce the attack surface. Regular security training for users on the risks of local access and maintaining updated security baselines for macOS devices will further reduce exploitation likelihood.