CVE-2025-31220 is a medium-severity privacy vulnerability affecting Apple macOS and iPadOS platforms, specifically versions prior to macOS Ventura 13.7.6, macOS Sequoia 15.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.6, and iPadOS 17.7.7. The vulnerability allows a malicious application with limited privileges (requiring local access and low complexity to exploit) to read sensitive location information without user interaction. This issue stems from improper handling of sensitive data, classified under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor). The vulnerability does not impact system integrity or availability but compromises confidentiality by exposing location data that should be protected. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.5 (medium), reflecting that the attack vector is local (AV:L), requires low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality (C:H) but not integrity or availability. No known exploits are reported in the wild as of the publication date. Apple addressed this issue by removing the sensitive data exposure in the specified patched versions. The vulnerability highlights risks in privacy controls on macOS and iPadOS, where location data can be accessed by unauthorized apps, potentially leading to privacy violations or targeted surveillance.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a privacy risk especially for entities handling sensitive or regulated data, such as governmental bodies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and enterprises with strict data protection requirements under GDPR. Unauthorized access to location data could lead to privacy breaches, targeted attacks, or exposure of employee or asset locations. While the vulnerability requires local access and some privileges, insider threats or compromised user accounts could exploit it to gather sensitive location information stealthily. This could undermine trust, lead to regulatory penalties under GDPR for inadequate data protection, and expose organizations to espionage or competitive intelligence gathering. The lack of impact on system integrity or availability limits direct operational disruption, but the confidentiality breach alone is significant given the sensitivity of location data in privacy regulations and security postures.

European organizations should ensure all Apple devices are promptly updated to the patched versions: macOS Ventura 13.7.6, macOS Sequoia 15.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.6, and iPadOS 17.7.7. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict application control policies to limit installation of untrusted or unauthorized apps, minimizing the risk of malicious apps gaining local access. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious app behavior related to location data access. Implement least privilege principles to restrict user permissions and reduce the likelihood of privilege escalation that could facilitate exploitation. Regularly audit installed applications and conduct privacy impact assessments focusing on location data handling. Additionally, educate users about risks of installing unverified apps and enforce device encryption and secure authentication to prevent unauthorized local access. For high-security environments, consider disabling location services where feasible or using mobile device management (MDM) solutions to control app permissions granularly.