CVE-2025-30448 is a critical vulnerability affecting Apple iPadOS and other Apple operating systems including macOS Sonoma, macOS Ventura, macOS Sequoia, iOS, and visionOS. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to enable sharing on an iCloud folder without requiring any authentication or user interaction. This vulnerability stems from insufficient entitlement checks in the iCloud folder sharing mechanism, classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization). Essentially, the system fails to verify whether the requesting entity has the necessary permissions to modify sharing settings on iCloud folders. Exploiting this flaw, an attacker could turn on sharing for private folders, potentially exposing sensitive user data to unauthorized parties. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1, indicating critical severity, with attack vector being network-based, no privileges or user interaction required, and resulting in high confidentiality impact and high availability impact, but no integrity impact. Apple has addressed this issue by implementing additional entitlement checks in the latest patches for the affected operating systems, including iPadOS 17.7.7 and iOS 18.5. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the ease of exploitation and the critical impact make this vulnerability a significant threat to users of affected Apple devices.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to data confidentiality and availability. Many enterprises and public sector entities in Europe rely on Apple devices, including iPads and iPhones, for daily operations and data storage. An attacker exploiting this flaw could enable sharing on sensitive iCloud folders without detection, leading to unauthorized data exposure or leakage of confidential corporate or personal information. This could result in violations of GDPR due to unauthorized data disclosure, leading to regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Additionally, enabling sharing could disrupt normal workflows or cause denial of service conditions if critical data is accessed or manipulated externally. The lack of required authentication and user interaction lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the likelihood of exploitation. Organizations with remote or mobile workforces using Apple devices are particularly vulnerable, as attackers could remotely trigger sharing changes without physical access. The impact extends to sectors handling sensitive data such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure within Europe.

European organizations should prioritize patching affected Apple devices immediately by deploying the latest updates: iPadOS 17.7.7, iOS 18.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.6, macOS Ventura 13.7.6, macOS Sequoia 15.4, and visionOS 2.5. Beyond patching, organizations should audit iCloud folder sharing settings to detect any unauthorized sharing configurations. Implement monitoring and alerting for unusual sharing activity on iCloud accounts tied to corporate devices. Enforce strict device management policies using Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to control iCloud sharing permissions and restrict the use of personal iCloud accounts on corporate devices. Educate users about the risks of unauthorized sharing and encourage regular reviews of shared folders. Consider disabling iCloud folder sharing features on devices where not necessary. Additionally, integrate iCloud activity logs into Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to detect anomalous behavior. Finally, ensure that incident response plans include procedures for handling potential data exposure due to unauthorized sharing.