CVE-2025-31275 is a permissions vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows a sandboxed process to launch any installed application on the system. Sandboxing is a security mechanism designed to restrict application capabilities and isolate processes to prevent unauthorized actions. However, due to insufficient permission restrictions, a sandboxed process could bypass these controls and execute arbitrary installed apps. This flaw is categorized under CWE-274 (Improper Enforcement of Permissions or Access Control). The issue was identified and addressed in macOS Sequoia 15.6 by implementing additional restrictions on sandboxed processes to prevent unauthorized app launches. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.2, reflecting a medium severity level. The vector indicates local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no confidentiality impact (C:N), high integrity impact (I:H), and no availability impact (A:N). Exploitation requires local access but no authentication or user interaction, making it a concern for environments where untrusted code runs in sandboxed contexts. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date. The vulnerability could be leveraged by malicious sandboxed applications or attackers who gain limited access to escalate their capabilities by launching arbitrary apps, potentially leading to further compromise or unauthorized actions on the system.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-31275 is on the integrity of affected macOS systems. By allowing sandboxed processes to launch any installed application, attackers or malicious code confined within a sandbox could bypass intended restrictions and execute arbitrary applications, potentially leading to privilege escalation or unauthorized actions. Although confidentiality and availability are not directly affected, the ability to run arbitrary apps can facilitate further attacks, including data manipulation, persistence mechanisms, or lateral movement within the system. Organizations relying on sandboxing for security isolation—such as those running third-party apps, development environments, or managed macOS endpoints—face increased risk of compromise if this vulnerability is exploited. The lack of required user interaction and privileges lowers the barrier for exploitation once local access is obtained, increasing the threat in environments with shared or multi-user systems. While no known exploits are currently in the wild, the vulnerability's presence in widely used macOS versions prior to Sequoia 15.6 means that unpatched systems remain at risk, especially in sectors with high macOS usage such as technology, creative industries, and government agencies.

To mitigate CVE-2025-31275, organizations should immediately update all macOS systems to version Sequoia 15.6 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed with enhanced sandbox restrictions. Beyond patching, administrators should audit and restrict the use of sandboxed applications, especially those from untrusted sources or with elevated capabilities. Employ application whitelisting to limit which apps can be executed by sandboxed processes. Implement strict endpoint security controls to monitor and detect unusual process launches originating from sandboxed environments. Use macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and Endpoint Security Framework to enforce process execution policies. Regularly review and minimize local user permissions to reduce the risk of local exploitation. For environments with high security requirements, consider isolating critical workloads from sandboxed applications or using virtualization to contain potential breaches. Finally, maintain robust logging and alerting to identify attempts to exploit this vulnerability or anomalous app launches.