CVE-2025-31232 is a logic vulnerability in Apple macOS's sandboxing mechanism that allows a sandboxed application to bypass intended access restrictions and read sensitive user data. Sandboxing is designed to isolate applications and restrict their access to system resources and user data, enforcing the principle of least privilege. However, due to insufficient or flawed logic checks in the sandbox implementation, a malicious or compromised sandboxed app with limited privileges can escalate its access rights to obtain sensitive information. This vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions prior to the patched releases: Ventura 13.7.6, Sequoia 15.5, and Sonoma 14.7.6. The CVSS v3.1 score is 7.1, indicating a high severity, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), low integrity impact (I:L), and no availability impact (A:N). The flaw is categorized under CWE-284 (Improper Access Control), highlighting that the sandbox failed to enforce proper access restrictions. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild, the vulnerability's characteristics make it a significant risk, especially for environments where sandboxed apps are used to handle sensitive data. The fix involves improved logic checks in the sandbox enforcement code to prevent unauthorized data access by sandboxed processes.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of sensitive user and corporate data on macOS systems. Organizations in finance, healthcare, government, and technology sectors that rely on macOS devices for daily operations could face data breaches if a malicious sandboxed app exploits this flaw. The ability to access sensitive data without user interaction and with low complexity increases the likelihood of exploitation in targeted attacks or supply chain compromises involving sandboxed applications. Data leakage could lead to regulatory penalties under GDPR, reputational damage, and operational disruptions. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability substantially, the primary concern is unauthorized data disclosure. The risk is amplified in environments where users have elevated privileges or where sandboxed apps have access to critical data stores. The absence of known exploits provides a window for proactive patching and mitigation before widespread exploitation occurs.

1. Immediately apply the security updates released by Apple for macOS Ventura 13.7.6, Sequoia 15.5, and Sonoma 14.7.6 to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2. Conduct an inventory of all sandboxed applications deployed within the organization to identify those that could potentially exploit this vulnerability. 3. Implement strict application whitelisting and restrict installation of untrusted or unnecessary sandboxed apps to reduce attack surface. 4. Monitor sandboxed app behaviors and access patterns using endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to detect anomalous attempts to access sensitive data. 5. Enforce the principle of least privilege for user accounts and sandboxed applications to limit the potential impact of exploitation. 6. Educate users and administrators about the risks associated with sandboxed apps and encourage prompt installation of security updates. 7. Review and tighten macOS security configurations, including privacy settings and data access permissions, to minimize exposure. 8. Consider network segmentation and data encryption to protect sensitive data even if accessed by unauthorized processes.