CVE-2025-24267 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Apple macOS caused by a permissions misconfiguration (CWE-276). This flaw allows an application with limited privileges to gain root-level access by exploiting insufficiently restricted operations within the operating system. The vulnerability affects macOS versions Sequoia 15.4, Sonoma 14.7.5, and Ventura 13.7.5, where Apple has implemented fixes by adding stricter permission checks. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 reflects the vulnerability's high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with an attack vector requiring local access and low attack complexity. No user interaction is needed, and the scope is unchanged, meaning the exploit affects only the vulnerable component. The vulnerability was reserved in January 2025 and publicly disclosed in March 2025. Although no active exploits are known, the potential for root privilege escalation makes this a critical risk for macOS users, especially in environments where local access might be gained by attackers or malicious insiders.

If exploited, this vulnerability allows an attacker with limited local privileges to escalate to root privileges, effectively gaining full control over the affected macOS system. This can lead to complete system compromise, including unauthorized access to sensitive data, installation of persistent malware, disabling security controls, and disruption of system availability. Organizations relying on macOS devices for critical operations could face data breaches, intellectual property theft, and operational downtime. The ability to escalate privileges without user interaction increases the risk of automated or stealthy attacks once local access is obtained. This vulnerability poses a significant threat to enterprises, government agencies, and individuals using vulnerable macOS versions, especially in environments where endpoint security is critical.

1. Immediately apply the security updates provided by Apple for macOS Sequoia 15.4, Sonoma 14.7.5, and Ventura 13.7.5 or later versions that include the fix for CVE-2025-24267. 2. Restrict local access to macOS systems by enforcing strong access controls, limiting user privileges, and using endpoint protection solutions to detect suspicious activities. 3. Monitor system logs and audit privilege escalation attempts to identify potential exploitation attempts early. 4. Employ application whitelisting and sandboxing to limit the execution of untrusted or unknown applications that could exploit this vulnerability. 5. Educate users about the risks of installing untrusted software and the importance of reporting unusual system behavior. 6. For high-security environments, consider implementing additional host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) and regularly review system integrity. 7. Maintain up-to-date backups to enable recovery in case of compromise.