CVE-2025-24240 is a race condition vulnerability identified in Apple macOS operating systems, specifically addressed in versions Sequoia 15.4, Sonoma 14.7.5, and Ventura 13.7.5. The vulnerability stems from a timing issue where an application can exploit insufficient validation checks to access user-sensitive data improperly. This type of race condition (CWE-362) occurs when concurrent processes or threads access shared data or resources without proper synchronization, allowing an attacker to manipulate the timing of operations to bypass security controls. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.7 reflects a medium severity, with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), and no impact on integrity or availability (I:N/A:N). The vulnerability does not require elevated privileges but does require the attacker to have local access and trick the user into interaction, such as opening a malicious app or file. Apple has mitigated this issue by adding additional validation to prevent the race condition from being exploited. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date. The vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions, emphasizing the importance of updating to the fixed releases to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive user data.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-24240 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user data on affected macOS systems. If exploited, a malicious app could bypass normal access controls and read data that should be protected, potentially leading to privacy violations, leakage of personal or corporate information, and subsequent targeted attacks such as phishing or identity theft. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, it does not allow data modification or system disruption. However, the confidentiality breach alone can have significant consequences for individuals and organizations, especially those handling sensitive or regulated data. The requirement for local access and user interaction limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, particularly in environments where users may install untrusted software or be targeted by social engineering. Organizations relying on macOS devices for critical operations or storing sensitive data should consider this vulnerability a moderate risk until patched.

To mitigate CVE-2025-24240, organizations and users should promptly update affected macOS systems to the fixed versions: Sequoia 15.4, Sonoma 14.7.5, or Ventura 13.7.5. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict application installation policies, such as restricting software installation to trusted sources and using Apple’s notarization and Gatekeeper features to prevent untrusted apps from running. Implement endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting suspicious local activity and monitor for unusual application behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. Educate users about the risks of opening unknown or untrusted applications and the importance of applying system updates promptly. For environments with high security requirements, consider using macOS’s built-in privacy controls to limit app access to sensitive data and audit access logs regularly. Additionally, employ network segmentation and least privilege principles to reduce the impact of a compromised device.