CVE-2025-24197 is a medium-severity logic vulnerability affecting Apple macOS operating systems, specifically addressed in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, and macOS Tahoe 26. The vulnerability arises from insufficient or flawed logic checks within the system that may allow a malicious application to access sensitive user data without proper authorization. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-284, which relates to improper access control. According to the CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), exploitation requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), and user interaction (UI:R). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact is high on confidentiality (C:H) but none on integrity or availability (I:N/A:N). This means that while the attacker cannot modify or disrupt system operations, they can potentially read sensitive data. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication but does require the user to interact with the malicious app, such as launching or permitting it. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet. The issue was fixed by Apple through improved logic checks in the specified macOS versions. The affected versions are unspecified but presumably include versions prior to these patches. This vulnerability highlights a risk where malicious local applications, possibly delivered via social engineering or other means, could bypass intended access controls to extract sensitive user information, potentially including personal data, credentials, or other protected content stored or accessible on the device.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to confidentiality of sensitive data on macOS endpoints. Many enterprises and professionals in Europe use Apple devices for business and personal use, including in sectors such as finance, legal, healthcare, and government, where sensitive data protection is critical. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to confidential information, leading to data breaches, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations), reputational damage, and potential financial losses. Since the attack requires local access and user interaction, the threat vector often involves social engineering or insider threats. However, once exploited, the attacker could silently exfiltrate sensitive data without altering system integrity or availability, making detection more difficult. This could facilitate espionage, intellectual property theft, or leakage of personal data. The medium severity and requirement for user interaction reduce the likelihood of widespread automated exploitation but do not eliminate targeted attacks against high-value European organizations. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate risk but patching is critical to prevent future exploitation.

European organizations should prioritize patching affected macOS systems to versions macOS Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, or Tahoe 26 as soon as possible to remediate the vulnerability. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict application control policies to restrict installation and execution of untrusted or unsigned applications, reducing the risk of malicious apps gaining local access. User awareness training should emphasize the risks of interacting with unknown or suspicious applications to mitigate social engineering vectors. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions should be configured to monitor for unusual local application behaviors indicative of data access or exfiltration attempts. Additionally, organizations should enforce least privilege principles on user accounts to limit the scope of data accessible by local applications. Regular audits of installed applications and system logs can help identify potential exploitation attempts. For highly sensitive environments, consider deploying macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and full disk encryption to further protect data confidentiality. Finally, organizations should maintain an inventory of Apple devices and ensure timely updates as part of their vulnerability management program.