CVE-2025-24282: Apple macOS Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24282 Overview

CVE-2025-24282 is a library injection vulnerability affecting Apple macOS. The flaw allows a malicious application to modify protected parts of the file system that should be shielded by macOS System Integrity Protection (SIP) and related sandbox controls. Apple addressed the issue in macOS Sequoia 15.4 by applying additional restrictions to prevent unauthorized library loading. The vulnerability requires local access and user interaction to exploit, and it is tracked under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information. No public exploit is currently known, and the flaw is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Critical Impact
A local application can inject a malicious library into a trusted process and modify protected file system regions, weakening macOS integrity guarantees.

Affected Products

Apple macOS versions prior to macOS Sequoia 15.4
Apple macOS installations without the March 2025 security update applied
Third-party applications relying on macOS file system protection for integrity assurances

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-31 - CVE-2025-24282 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2025-03-31 - Apple publishes advisory in Apple Support Article 122373 documenting the fix in macOS Sequoia 15.4
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24282

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-24282 is a library injection weakness in macOS Sequoia. The vulnerability enables an application running on the local system to load an attacker-controlled dynamic library into a process context that possesses elevated file system privileges. Once loaded, the injected library operates with the host process's entitlements, bypassing protections that normally restrict writes to system-managed directories.

Successful exploitation permits modification of protected parts of the file system, which macOS treats as immutable under normal operation. This integrity impact can undermine security features that depend on the trusted state of system files. The CWE-200 classification reflects the broader class of information exposure that arises when protected resources become reachable through an unintended code path.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient validation of the libraries a privileged or protected process is permitted to load at runtime. Apple's advisory states the issue was addressed with additional restrictions, indicating that the load-time policy did not adequately restrict which binaries could be mapped into the affected process. Attackers who place a crafted library where the target process will resolve it can subvert the process's file system authority.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access and user interaction, consistent with a scenario where a user runs a malicious or trojanized application. The attacker's application triggers loading of a controlled library into a process that holds elevated file system rights. The injected code then performs write operations on protected paths that the calling application could not otherwise touch. No network vector is involved, and no prior authentication is required beyond the ability to execute code on the target system. Public proof-of-concept code has not been released, and technical detail is limited to Apple's advisory and the Full Disclosure mailing list post.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24282

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected dylib files placed within application bundles or user-writable directories referenced by system or Apple-signed processes
Modifications to files under paths normally protected by System Integrity Protection, such as /System, /usr (excluding /usr/local), or Apple-signed application bundles
macOS installations reporting a build version earlier than macOS Sequoia 15.4 after the patch window

Detection Strategies

Monitor dyld load events and flag Apple-signed processes loading libraries from user-writable locations
Baseline file integrity on SIP-protected directories and alert on any write operations originating from non-system processes
Correlate application launches from unsigned or ad-hoc signed developers with subsequent writes to protected file system regions

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest macOS Endpoint Security Framework telemetry covering ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_MMAP and process load events into a central log platform
Track DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES environment variable usage and unusual LC_LOAD_DYLIB entries in executed Mach-O binaries
Alert on csrutil state changes and any process attempting file writes to /System/Library or Apple-managed bundle contents

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24282

Immediate Actions Required

Update all affected Macs to macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later using Software Update or MDM enforcement
Inventory endpoints running macOS builds earlier than 15.4 and prioritize them for patching
Restrict installation of unsigned or ad-hoc signed applications through Gatekeeper policy and MDM configuration profiles

Patch Information

Apple resolved CVE-2025-24282 in macOS Sequoia 15.4 by adding restrictions on library loading in the affected code path. Detailed patch information is available in the Apple Support advisory 122373. Administrators managing fleets should distribute the update through Apple Business Manager, Jamf, Kandji, or another MDM platform to ensure coverage.

Workarounds

Enforce Gatekeeper in its strictest mode to block execution of applications from unidentified developers
Verify System Integrity Protection is enabled by running csrutil status on each managed endpoint
Limit local user privileges so that untrusted applications cannot be introduced onto managed devices

bash

# Confirm macOS build and SIP status prior to remediation
sw_vers -productVersion
csrutil status

# Trigger a software update check to install macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart