CVE-2025-31268 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS operating systems, specifically addressed in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, and macOS Tahoe 26. The vulnerability arises from a permissions issue that could allow a malicious application to access protected user data without proper authorization. The flaw relates to improper access control (CWE-284), where an app may bypass intended restrictions and read sensitive information that should be safeguarded by the operating system. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, indicating a medium impact level. The vector string (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N) reveals that exploitation requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact is high on confidentiality (C:H), but no impact on integrity (I:N) or availability (A:N). This means that while the attacker cannot modify or disrupt system operations, they can potentially read sensitive user data if they convince a user to run a malicious app locally. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication. Apple has addressed the issue by implementing additional restrictions in the specified macOS versions, but earlier versions remain vulnerable. The vulnerability emphasizes the importance of strict permission enforcement in protecting user data on macOS platforms.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to confidentiality of sensitive user data on macOS devices. Organizations with employees or systems running vulnerable macOS versions could face unauthorized data disclosure if a malicious app is executed locally. This could lead to exposure of personal information, intellectual property, or other sensitive corporate data. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government entities in Europe, which often handle sensitive data, may be particularly impacted. The need for user interaction to exploit the vulnerability somewhat limits large-scale automated attacks but does not eliminate targeted attacks or insider threats. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged in multi-stage attacks where initial access is gained through social engineering or phishing, followed by local exploitation to harvest protected data. Given the widespread use of Apple devices in European enterprises and among professionals, the vulnerability could undermine trust in macOS security if not promptly mitigated.

European organizations should prioritize updating all macOS devices to the patched versions: macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, or macOS Tahoe 26. Where immediate patching is not feasible, organizations should enforce strict application control policies to prevent installation or execution of untrusted or unsigned applications. User education campaigns should emphasize the risks of running unknown apps and the importance of verifying app sources. Endpoint protection solutions with behavior-based detection can help identify suspicious local app activities attempting unauthorized data access. Additionally, organizations should audit macOS device configurations to ensure privacy and permission settings are appropriately hardened. Monitoring for unusual local user activity and employing data loss prevention (DLP) tools can further reduce risk. Finally, integrating macOS security updates into centralized patch management workflows will ensure timely remediation across the enterprise.