CVE-2025-31198 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS operating systems, specifically related to path handling and symbolic link (symlink) validation. The issue arises from improper validation of symlinks, which can lead to security weaknesses such as unauthorized modification or redirection of file system paths. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access), indicating that the system may incorrectly resolve symbolic links, potentially allowing an attacker to influence file operations in unintended ways. The vulnerability does not require privileges (PR:N) but does require user interaction (UI:R), and it has a local attack vector (AV:L), meaning the attacker must have local access to the system. The impact primarily affects integrity (I:H) without compromising confidentiality or availability. Apple addressed this issue by improving symlink validation in macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.4, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.5. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and the affected versions are unspecified but presumably include versions prior to these patched releases. The CVSS score of 5.5 reflects a medium level of risk due to the combination of local access, user interaction, and the impact on system integrity without direct confidentiality or availability consequences.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to environments where macOS devices are used, especially in sectors relying on local user interactions with potentially untrusted files or applications. The integrity impact could allow attackers to manipulate file paths, potentially leading to unauthorized modification of files or execution of unintended code paths. This could undermine the trustworthiness of data and system operations, particularly in environments handling sensitive or regulated information. While the vulnerability does not directly affect confidentiality or availability, the integrity compromise could facilitate further attacks or data corruption. Organizations with macOS endpoints in critical infrastructure, finance, healthcare, or government sectors should be particularly vigilant, as integrity breaches can have cascading effects on compliance and operational reliability.

European organizations should prioritize updating macOS systems to the patched versions: Ventura 13.7.5, Sequoia 15.4, or Sonoma 14.7.5. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict local user privilege management to limit the ability of unprivileged users to exploit local vulnerabilities. Employ endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting suspicious file system activities, including abnormal symlink manipulations. User training should emphasize caution when interacting with untrusted files or applications that could trigger symlink exploitation. Additionally, organizations should audit and restrict the use of symbolic links in sensitive directories and monitor file system changes for anomalies. Implementing application whitelisting and sandboxing can further reduce the risk of exploitation by limiting the execution scope of potentially malicious code triggered via symlink manipulation.