CVE-2025-24260 is a critical denial-of-service vulnerability in Apple macOS identified by the Common Weakness Enumeration CWE-400, which relates to uncontrolled resource consumption. The vulnerability arises from improper memory handling within the affected macOS versions, allowing an attacker positioned with network-level privileges to trigger a denial-of-service condition. This could manifest as system crashes or resource exhaustion, severely impacting system availability. The vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions prior to Ventura 13.7.5, Sequoia 15.4, and Sonoma 14.7.5, where Apple has implemented improved memory management to remediate the issue. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 reflects the vulnerability's critical nature, with an attack vector over the network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no public exploits are currently reported, the vulnerability's characteristics suggest it could be exploited remotely without authentication, making it a high-risk threat. The flaw's root cause in memory handling indicates potential for resource exhaustion or crashes, which could disrupt critical services running on macOS systems. Organizations relying on macOS for critical operations should prioritize patching and consider additional network controls to mitigate exploitation risk.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-24260 could be significant, particularly for those with infrastructure or endpoints running vulnerable macOS versions. The denial-of-service condition could lead to system outages, disrupting business operations, communications, and critical services. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and technology that often use Apple devices may experience operational downtime and potential data availability issues. The vulnerability's ability to be exploited remotely without authentication increases the attack surface, especially in environments where network segmentation is weak or where attackers can gain privileged network access. Additionally, the high impact on confidentiality and integrity suggests that exploitation might also facilitate further attacks or data compromise, although the primary reported effect is DoS. European organizations with remote or hybrid workforces using macOS devices could face increased exposure if devices are connected to untrusted networks. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the critical severity demands urgent attention to prevent potential exploitation.

1. Immediately apply the security updates released by Apple for macOS Ventura 13.7.5, Sequoia 15.4, and Sonoma 14.7.5 to all affected systems. 2. Implement strict network segmentation to limit the ability of attackers to gain privileged network positions, especially isolating macOS devices from untrusted or less secure network segments. 3. Monitor network traffic for unusual patterns or spikes in resource usage that could indicate attempts to exploit the vulnerability. 4. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of identifying abnormal memory usage or process crashes on macOS devices. 5. Restrict administrative and privileged network access to trusted personnel and devices, enforcing strong authentication and access controls. 6. Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing focused on macOS environments to identify residual risks. 7. Educate IT and security teams about the vulnerability specifics to ensure rapid detection and response to potential exploitation attempts. 8. Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to minimize operational impact in case of successful denial-of-service attacks.