CVE-2025-24245: Apple macOS Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-24245 Overview

CVE-2025-24245 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability affecting Apple macOS that allows a malicious application to access a user's saved passwords. The vulnerability stems from insufficient rate limiting on verification code attempts, which Apple addressed by implementing a delay between verification code attempts in macOS Sequoia 15.4.

Critical Impact

A malicious application can bypass security controls to access a user's saved passwords, potentially compromising all credentials stored in the macOS Keychain or password manager.

Affected Products

• Apple macOS (versions prior to Sequoia 15.4)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-31 - CVE-2025-24245 published to NVD
• 2025-11-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24245

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicating that the affected macOS component failed to properly enforce authorization checks when handling password access requests. The issue allowed malicious applications to repeatedly attempt verification codes without adequate throttling or blocking mechanisms, effectively enabling brute-force attacks against password protection mechanisms.

The vulnerability affects the password management subsystem in macOS, where verification codes serve as a secondary authentication layer before granting access to stored credentials. Without proper rate limiting, an attacker-controlled application could rapidly iterate through possible verification codes until finding the correct one, thereby gaining unauthorized access to sensitive password data.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-24245 lies in missing authorization controls within the verification code validation process. The affected component lacked adequate enforcement of delays or lockout mechanisms between consecutive verification attempts. This oversight allowed applications to submit verification codes in rapid succession without triggering security countermeasures, creating an exploitable window for automated credential theft.

Attack Vector

The attack requires a malicious application to be present on the target macOS system. Once installed, the application can leverage the missing authorization controls to:

1. Initiate requests to access stored passwords
2. Rapidly submit verification code attempts without rate limiting
3. Enumerate or brute-force the verification code
4. Extract the user's saved passwords upon successful verification

The network attack vector indicated in the CVSS assessment suggests the malicious application could potentially exfiltrate the obtained credentials remotely or receive commands from a remote attacker to initiate the password extraction process.

Since no verified code examples are available for this vulnerability, readers should refer to the Apple Support Document and the Full Disclosure Mailing List Post for additional technical details on the vulnerability mechanism and Apple's remediation approach.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24245

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or excessive access attempts to the macOS Keychain or password storage systems
• Applications making rapid, repeated requests to password verification APIs
• Unexpected processes querying stored credential information
• Network connections from applications following password access attempts

Detection Strategies

• Monitor system logs for abnormal frequency of Keychain access requests
• Implement endpoint detection rules to identify applications attempting rapid verification code submissions
• Use SentinelOne behavioral AI to detect suspicious password manager interactions
• Alert on applications with elevated Keychain access privileges that exhibit brute-force-like behavior

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable enhanced logging for Keychain and credential access on macOS endpoints
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of monitoring API calls to password subsystems
• Establish baseline behaviors for legitimate password manager applications to identify anomalies
• Review installed applications for unknown or potentially malicious software that may exploit this vulnerability

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24245

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all affected macOS systems to macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later immediately
• Audit installed applications and remove any suspicious or untrusted software
• Review Keychain access logs for evidence of exploitation attempts
• Consider rotating passwords that may have been exposed prior to patching

Patch Information

Apple has addressed this vulnerability in macOS Sequoia 15.4 by implementing a delay between verification code attempts. This fix prevents the rapid enumeration attacks that were previously possible. Organizations should prioritize deployment of this update across all managed macOS devices.

For detailed patch information and download links, refer to the Apple Support Document.

Workarounds

• Restrict application installation to only trusted sources (Mac App Store and identified developers)
• Implement application allowlisting to prevent execution of unauthorized software
• Use MDM solutions to enforce security policies limiting Keychain access permissions
• Enable FileVault and additional system integrity protections to add defense-in-depth layers

# Verify macOS version to confirm patch status
sw_vers -productVersion
# Should return 15.4 or higher for patched systems

# Check for recent Keychain access in system logs
log show --predicate 'subsystem == "com.apple.securityd"' --last 24h | grep -i keychain