CVE-2025-24094: Apple macOS Race Condition Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24094 Overview

CVE-2025-24094 is a race condition vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows a local application to access user-sensitive data. Apple addressed the issue by adding validation to eliminate the timing window that permitted unauthorized access. The flaw is classified under [CWE-362] (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization).

Apple resolved the vulnerability in macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, and macOS Ventura 13.7.3. Exploitation requires local access and high attack complexity, but successful exploitation exposes confidential user data without requiring user interaction.

Critical Impact
A locally installed application can win a race condition to access user-sensitive data that should be protected by macOS privacy controls.

Affected Products

Apple macOS Ventura versions prior to 13.7.3
Apple macOS Sonoma versions prior to 14.7.3
Apple macOS Sequoia versions prior to 15.3

Discovery Timeline

2025-01-27 - CVE-2025-24094 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24094

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-24094 is a race condition [CWE-362] affecting Apple macOS. The affected component performs security-relevant checks and subsequent operations on shared resources without adequate synchronization. A local attacker with low privileges can exploit the timing gap between validation and use to bypass privacy protections.

Apple's advisory states the issue was "addressed with additional validation." This indicates the original code path lacked sufficient guards to ensure that a resource remained in an expected state between check and use. The exploitation surface is confined to the local system, but no user interaction is required once the malicious code is running.

The confidentiality impact is high while integrity and availability remain unaffected. Successful exploitation enables read access to files or data governed by macOS Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) or comparable user privacy boundaries.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper synchronization between a validation step and the subsequent use of a shared resource. This class of flaw is commonly referred to as a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) condition. An attacker manipulates the resource, such as a file path or symbolic link, in the interval between the two operations.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires a malicious or compromised application already executing on the target Mac with standard user privileges. The attacker races a privileged or entitled system operation, substituting the validated resource with an attacker-controlled target before the resource is consumed. Because the attack complexity is high, reliable exploitation typically requires repeated attempts and precise timing.

Apple has not published exploitation code, and no public proof-of-concept is available in Exploit-DB or CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Additional discussion appears on the Full Disclosure Mailing List (January 15), January 16, and January 17 archives.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24094

Indicators of Compromise

Unsigned or newly installed applications performing rapid, repeated file system operations against paths protected by TCC.
Processes creating or renaming symbolic links in user Library directories immediately before invoking privileged helpers.
Unexpected access to files under ~/Library/Application Support, ~/Library/Mail, or other privacy-protected locations by non-authorized bundles.

Detection Strategies

Inventory macOS endpoints and flag any host running macOS Ventura earlier than 13.7.3, Sonoma earlier than 14.7.3, or Sequoia earlier than 15.3.
Monitor Endpoint Security framework events (ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_RENAME, ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_LINK) for suspicious rename or symlink activity paired with sensitive-resource access.
Correlate TCC prompt denials and privacy database changes with process lineage to identify applications attempting to bypass consent.

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest Unified Log events related to tccd, sandboxd, and kernel into a centralized analytics platform for behavioral baselining.
Alert on user-space applications spawning tight loops of file system calls immediately followed by access to protected containers.
Track macOS version telemetry from managed device fleets to confirm patch coverage across Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia branches.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24094

Immediate Actions Required

Update all managed Macs to macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, or macOS Ventura 13.7.3 through Software Update or MDM.
Audit installed third-party applications and remove any that are unsigned, unnecessary, or sourced outside the Mac App Store or notarized channels.
Restrict user ability to install arbitrary software using MDM configuration profiles and Gatekeeper policies.

Patch Information

Apple published patch details in Apple Support Document 122068 for macOS Sequoia 15.3, Apple Support Document 122069 for macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, and Apple Support Document 122070 for macOS Ventura 13.7.3. Apply the update corresponding to the deployed macOS release train.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workaround exists; upgrade to a fixed macOS build.
Reduce local attack surface by enforcing least-privilege user accounts and blocking execution of unnotarized binaries.
Enable full-disk protection via FileVault and restrict Full Disk Access entitlements to a vetted application allowlist.

bash

# Verify macOS build meets the fixed version on managed endpoints
sw_vers -productVersion

# Trigger available Software Updates via command line
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart