CVE-2025-24269: Apple macOS Sequoia DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24269 Overview

CVE-2025-24269 is a memory handling vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows a malicious application to cause unexpected system termination. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) that can be exploited to trigger a denial of service condition on affected systems. Apple has addressed this issue in macOS Sequoia 15.4 with improved memory handling.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability allows an app to cause unexpected system termination, potentially disrupting critical operations and affecting system availability across macOS deployments.

Affected Products

• Apple macOS (versions prior to macOS Sequoia 15.4)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-31 - CVE-2025-24269 published to NVD
• 2025-11-07 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24269

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under the category of Resource Exhaustion (CWE-400), which occurs when an application fails to properly limit the amount of memory or other resources it consumes. In the context of CVE-2025-24269, a malicious application can exploit improper memory handling mechanisms within macOS to force unexpected system termination.

The network-accessible attack vector combined with low complexity requirements means that exploitation can potentially be achieved without significant technical barriers. The vulnerability requires no privileges or user interaction, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where macOS devices may be exposed to untrusted applications.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-24269 lies in insufficient memory handling within macOS system components. When processing certain operations, the system fails to properly validate or limit memory allocation requests, allowing a malicious application to consume resources in a way that leads to system instability and eventual termination.

Apple's fix implements improved memory handling to ensure proper bounds checking and resource management, preventing applications from triggering the denial of service condition.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability involves a malicious application running on the target macOS system. The application exploits the memory handling flaw by:

1. Triggering specific memory allocation patterns that the vulnerable code path fails to handle properly
2. Causing resource exhaustion or memory corruption that destabilizes the system
3. Resulting in unexpected system termination

The vulnerability does not require the attacker to have any prior privileges on the system, nor does it require user interaction beyond the initial execution of the malicious application. For detailed technical information, refer to the Apple Security Advisory and the Full Disclosure announcement.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24269

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected system crashes or kernel panics on macOS systems without apparent cause
• Abnormal memory consumption patterns from specific applications
• System logs showing memory-related errors preceding system termination
• Repeated system restarts without user initiation

Detection Strategies

• Monitor system logs (/var/log/system.log and Console.app) for memory-related errors and kernel panics
• Implement endpoint detection rules to identify applications exhibiting abnormal memory allocation behavior
• Deploy application allowlisting to prevent execution of unauthorized applications
• Use SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect anomalous application behavior indicative of exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable crash reporting and centrally collect crash reports from macOS endpoints for analysis
• Configure alerts for systems running macOS versions prior to Sequoia 15.4
• Monitor for repeated system termination events across the fleet
• Track application installation and execution patterns for unauthorized software

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24269

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all macOS systems to macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later immediately
• Review installed applications on macOS endpoints and remove any unauthorized or suspicious software
• Implement application control policies to restrict execution of untrusted applications
• Ensure SentinelOne agents are deployed and up-to-date on all macOS endpoints

Patch Information

Apple has released a security update in macOS Sequoia 15.4 that addresses this vulnerability with improved memory handling. Organizations should prioritize deployment of this update across their macOS fleet. The official security advisory is available at the Apple Support Document.

To verify the current macOS version, navigate to Apple Menu > About This Mac. Systems should be running macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later to be protected against this vulnerability.

Workarounds

• Restrict application installation to trusted sources (Mac App Store and identified developers) via Gatekeeper settings
• Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable systems
• Deploy endpoint protection solutions with behavioral analysis capabilities to detect exploitation attempts
• Limit local administrator privileges to reduce the attack surface for malicious applications

# Verify macOS version from Terminal
sw_vers -productVersion

# Check Gatekeeper status
spctl --status

# Enable Gatekeeper if disabled
sudo spctl --master-enable