CVE-2025-24254 is a vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows a user with limited privileges to escalate their privileges due to improper validation of symbolic links (symlinks). The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), indicating that the system fails to enforce correct access controls. The flaw allows an attacker who already has some level of access (local privileges) to manipulate symlinks in a way that the operating system incorrectly grants higher privileges, potentially root-level access. This can lead to full system compromise, including unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of system files, and disruption of system availability. The vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions prior to the patched releases: Ventura 13.7.5, Sequoia 15.4, and Sonoma 14.7.5. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.8, reflecting high severity due to network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), required privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no known exploits are currently observed in the wild, the ease of exploitation and potential impact make it a critical vulnerability to address. The patch involves improved validation of symlinks to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, especially those relying on macOS systems for critical operations, including government agencies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and technology companies. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive personal and corporate data, disruption of services, and potential lateral movement within networks. The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and data could be severely compromised. Given the high market penetration of Apple devices in many European countries and the increasing use of macOS in enterprise environments, the threat could affect a broad range of organizations. The lack of required user interaction and low attack complexity means that attackers with limited privileges could escalate their access rapidly, increasing the risk of insider threats or exploitation of compromised accounts. This vulnerability could also be leveraged in targeted attacks against high-value targets or in supply chain attacks involving macOS systems.

European organizations should immediately deploy the security updates released by Apple for macOS Ventura 13.7.5, Sequoia 15.4, and Sonoma 14.7.5 to remediate this vulnerability. Beyond patching, organizations should audit and restrict user privileges to the minimum necessary, especially limiting local user accounts that could attempt exploitation. Implement application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious activities related to symlink manipulation or privilege escalation attempts. Regularly review and harden system configurations to reduce attack surfaces, including disabling unnecessary services and enforcing strict access controls on file systems. Conduct user training to raise awareness about the risks of privilege escalation and encourage reporting of unusual system behavior. For environments with sensitive data, consider network segmentation to limit the impact of potential compromises. Finally, maintain up-to-date asset inventories to quickly identify and remediate vulnerable macOS systems.