CVE-2025-24174: Apple macOS Privacy Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24174 Overview

CVE-2025-24174 is a privacy bypass vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows malicious applications to circumvent Privacy preferences (also known as TCC - Transparency, Consent, and Control). The vulnerability stems from insufficient checks within the operating system, enabling unauthorized access to protected user data and system resources that should require explicit user consent.

Critical Impact

A malicious application can bypass Privacy preferences to access sensitive user data including contacts, photos, camera, microphone, and other protected resources without user authorization.

Affected Products

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

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-27 - CVE-2025-24174 published to NVD
• 2025-11-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24174

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability affects the macOS Privacy framework, specifically the Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) mechanism that manages application permissions for accessing sensitive user data and system resources. The root issue lies in inadequate validation checks that fail to properly verify whether an application has been granted the necessary permissions before allowing access to protected resources.

The TCC framework is designed to prompt users for explicit consent when applications attempt to access sensitive resources such as the camera, microphone, contacts, photos, location services, and other privacy-sensitive APIs. CVE-2025-24174 allows a locally running application to bypass these safeguards entirely, accessing protected data without triggering the expected permission dialogs or consent flows.

This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where attackers may chain it with other exploits to exfiltrate sensitive corporate data or conduct surveillance on targeted users.

Root Cause

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor). The root cause stems from improper validation within the macOS privacy subsystem where checks intended to enforce access controls can be circumvented. Apple addressed this by implementing improved checks to properly validate application entitlements and permissions before granting access to protected resources.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to execute malicious code on the target macOS system. This could be achieved through:

• Social engineering users to download and run malicious applications
• Compromising legitimate applications through supply chain attacks
• Leveraging existing access to install backdoored software
• Distributing trojanized applications outside the App Store

Once the malicious application is running, it can invoke the vulnerable code path to bypass TCC protections and silently access sensitive user data without triggering any permission prompts or system notifications.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24174

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected TCC database modifications in ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.TCC/TCC.db
• Applications accessing protected resources without corresponding user permission grants
• Suspicious entitlement usage by non-Apple applications
• Anomalous access patterns to privacy-sensitive APIs such as camera, microphone, or contacts

Detection Strategies

• Monitor TCC database queries and modifications for unauthorized changes
• Implement endpoint detection rules for applications accessing protected resources without proper entitlements
• Review system logs for privacy framework bypass attempts using log show --predicate 'subsystem == "com.apple.TCC"'
• Deploy behavioral analysis to detect applications exhibiting unusual permission access patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable unified logging for TCC subsystem events on all managed macOS endpoints
• Establish baseline TCC database states and alert on deviations
• Monitor for unsigned or improperly signed applications attempting privacy-sensitive operations
• Implement file integrity monitoring on TCC database files

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24174

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all macOS Ventura systems to version 13.7.3 or later
• Update all macOS Sonoma systems to version 14.7.3 or later
• Update all macOS Sequoia systems to version 15.3 or later
• Audit installed applications for any suspicious privacy access patterns

Patch Information

Apple has released security updates addressing this vulnerability across all affected macOS versions. Detailed patch information is available in the following Apple Security Advisories:

• Apple Support Document #122068 - macOS Sequoia 15.3 security content
• Apple Support Document #122069 - macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 security content
• Apple Support Document #122070 - macOS Ventura 13.7.3 security content

Additional technical details were disclosed in the Full Disclosure Archive from January 2025.

Workarounds

• Restrict application installations to only App Store applications where possible to reduce exposure to malicious software
• Implement application allowlisting via MDM solutions to prevent unauthorized applications from running
• Enable System Integrity Protection (SIP) to prevent tampering with system-level privacy controls
• Conduct regular audits of TCC permissions granted to installed applications

# Check current macOS version and apply updates
softwareupdate -l
softwareupdate -i -a

# Verify TCC database integrity
sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.apple.TCC/TCC.db "SELECT * FROM access;"

# Review applications with privacy access
tccutil reset All