CVE-2025-9815 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the alaneuler batteryKid application versions up to 2.1 on macOS. The vulnerability stems from a missing authentication check in an unknown function within the PrivilegeHelper/PrivilegeHelper.swift file, specifically related to the NSXPCListener component. NSXPCListener is a macOS interprocess communication mechanism that allows processes to communicate securely. The missing authentication allows an attacker with local access to the host to exploit this flaw without requiring user interaction or elevated privileges beyond limited local privileges. The vulnerability enables an attacker to potentially escalate privileges or perform unauthorized actions by interacting with the PrivilegeHelper service, which likely runs with elevated permissions. The exploit code has been publicly released, increasing the risk of exploitation, although no confirmed in-the-wild attacks have been reported to date. The CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.5 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, combined with relatively low attack complexity and no user interaction required. This vulnerability is critical for environments where batteryKid is deployed on macOS systems, especially if local user accounts are shared or if untrusted users have local access.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-9815 can be significant, particularly in sectors relying on macOS systems with batteryKid installed, such as software development firms, creative industries, and enterprises using macOS for endpoint management or monitoring. The vulnerability allows local attackers to bypass authentication and potentially escalate privileges, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data, system configuration changes, or disruption of services. This could result in data breaches, loss of intellectual property, or operational downtime. Given the exploit is publicly available, the risk of opportunistic attacks increases, especially in environments with multiple users or insufficient endpoint security controls. Organizations with remote or hybrid workforces using macOS devices may face increased exposure if local access controls are weak. Additionally, the lack of a patch at the time of publication means organizations must rely on mitigation strategies to reduce risk.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting local access to macOS systems running batteryKid to trusted users only, minimizing the attack surface. 2. Employ macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and Endpoint Security frameworks to monitor and restrict unauthorized interprocess communications. 3. Use application whitelisting and runtime protection tools to detect and block exploitation attempts targeting PrivilegeHelper or NSXPCListener components. 4. Monitor system logs for unusual activity related to batteryKid or PrivilegeHelper processes, focusing on unexpected IPC calls or privilege escalations. 5. If possible, disable or remove batteryKid on systems where it is not essential until a vendor patch is released. 6. Implement strict user account management policies, including least privilege principles and strong local account passwords, to reduce the risk from local attackers. 7. Stay alert for vendor updates or patches addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 8. Consider network segmentation to isolate macOS systems with batteryKid from critical infrastructure to limit lateral movement in case of compromise.