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CVE-2025-30453: A malicious app may be able to gain root privileges in Apple macOS

High
VulnerabilityCVE-2025-30453cvecve-2025-30453
Published: Mon May 12 2025 (05/12/2025, 21:42:20 UTC)
Source: CVE
Vendor/Project: Apple
Product: macOS

Description

The issue was addressed with additional permissions checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.6. A malicious app may be able to gain root privileges.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 07/06/2025, 16:58:12 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2025-30453 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS operating systems, including versions macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.6, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.6. The vulnerability allows a malicious application to escalate its privileges to root level by exploiting insufficient permissions checks within the OS. Specifically, this vulnerability is categorized under CWE-280, which relates to improper access control or permissions management. The flaw enables an attacker with limited privileges (local access) to gain full administrative control without requiring user interaction, making it particularly dangerous. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 reflects a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and low privileges required. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the potential for exploitation exists due to the nature of the vulnerability. Apple has addressed this issue by implementing additional permissions checks in the affected macOS versions, indicating that prior to these patches, the system's access control mechanisms were insufficient to prevent privilege escalation by malicious apps. This vulnerability poses a significant risk as root access allows attackers to bypass security controls, install persistent malware, access sensitive data, and disrupt system operations.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability presents a critical risk, especially for those relying on macOS devices in their IT infrastructure. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and technology, which often use macOS for development or administrative tasks, could face severe consequences if exploited. An attacker gaining root privileges can compromise sensitive corporate data, intellectual property, and personal information of employees or customers, leading to data breaches and regulatory non-compliance under GDPR. Additionally, root-level access can facilitate lateral movement within networks, increasing the scope of compromise. The lack of required user interaction means that exploitation could occur silently, making detection difficult. This elevates the threat level for organizations with remote or hybrid work environments where endpoint security is critical. Furthermore, the potential disruption to availability through malicious actions at the root level could impact business continuity and operational resilience.

Mitigation Recommendations

European organizations should prioritize immediate patching of all affected macOS systems by upgrading to macOS Sequoia 15.4, Ventura 13.7.6, Sonoma 14.7.6, or later versions containing the fix. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized or untrusted applications from executing. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of monitoring for unusual privilege escalation attempts and anomalous system behavior indicative of root-level compromise. Regularly audit and restrict local user privileges to the minimum necessary, reducing the attack surface. Network segmentation should be enforced to limit the impact of a compromised device. Additionally, organizations should enforce secure software development practices and app vetting policies to reduce the risk of malicious apps being introduced. Continuous monitoring and incident response readiness are essential to quickly detect and remediate any exploitation attempts. Finally, educating users and administrators about the risks of running untrusted software on macOS devices can further reduce exposure.

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Technical Details

Data Version
5.1
Assigner Short Name
apple
Date Reserved
2025-03-22T00:04:43.720Z
Cisa Enriched
true
Cvss Version
3.1
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 682cd0fc1484d88663aecb55

Added to database: 5/20/2025, 6:59:08 PM

Last enriched: 7/6/2025, 4:58:12 PM

Last updated: 8/12/2025, 5:54:05 AM

Views: 21

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