CVE-2025-30456: Apple iPadOS Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-30456 Overview

CVE-2025-30456 is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Apple macOS, iOS, and iPadOS platforms. The flaw stems from a parsing issue in the handling of directory paths, which can be exploited by a malicious application to gain root privileges on affected systems. Apple addressed this vulnerability through improved path validation mechanisms in their April 2025 security updates.

Critical Impact

A malicious application can exploit improper directory path validation to escalate privileges to root, potentially leading to complete system compromise across macOS and iOS/iPadOS devices.

Affected Products

• Apple macOS Ventura (versions prior to 13.7.5)
• Apple macOS Sonoma (versions prior to 14.7.5)
• Apple macOS Sequoia (versions prior to 15.4)
• Apple iOS (versions prior to 18.4)
• Apple iPadOS (versions prior to 18.4)

Discovery Timeline

• March 31, 2025 - CVE-2025-30456 published to NVD
• November 3, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-30456

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-281 (Improper Preservation of Permissions), indicating that the system fails to properly maintain or validate access permissions during directory path processing operations. The attack requires local access to the system and user interaction (such as installing or running a malicious application), but does not require prior privileges to exploit.

When exploited successfully, an attacker can achieve complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the target system. The local attack vector means the attacker needs some form of access to the device, typically through a malicious application installed by the user.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-30456 lies in improper path validation when parsing directory paths within the operating system. The system fails to adequately sanitize or validate directory path inputs, allowing specially crafted path strings to bypass security controls. This improper handling of directory paths enables an attacker to manipulate the system into granting elevated privileges that should not be accessible to regular applications.

Apple's fix addresses this by implementing improved path validation logic that properly handles directory path inputs and prevents unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

Attack Vector

The attack requires a malicious application to be present on the target device. Once executed, the application can craft specially formatted directory paths that exploit the parsing vulnerability. Due to the improper preservation of permissions during path handling, the malicious application can escalate its privileges from a standard user context to root-level access.

The attack scenario typically involves:

1. A user downloads or installs a malicious application (potentially disguised as legitimate software)
2. Upon execution, the application exploits the path parsing vulnerability
3. The application gains root privileges, allowing full system control

Due to the nature of this vulnerability, a prose description is provided rather than code. The vulnerability manifests in the directory path parsing mechanism where improper validation allows malicious path strings to bypass permission checks. For detailed technical information, refer to the Full Disclosure postings and Apple's security advisories.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-30456

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected applications attempting to access privileged system directories or resources
• Unusual process behavior where non-system applications exhibit root-level access patterns
• Log entries showing path manipulation attempts or unusual directory traversal patterns
• Processes running with elevated privileges that should not have such access

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for applications that spawn child processes with higher privilege levels than expected
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect applications performing unusual file system operations involving path manipulation
• Review system logs for privilege escalation events associated with recently installed applications
• Use endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying improper permission changes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive audit logging for process privilege changes on macOS and iOS devices
• Configure endpoint protection solutions to alert on applications attempting root-level operations
• Monitor application behavior post-installation for suspicious file system access patterns
• Implement application allowlisting where feasible to prevent unauthorized software execution

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-30456

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all affected Apple devices to the latest patched versions immediately
• Review recently installed applications and remove any suspicious or untrusted software
• Enable automatic updates on all Apple devices to receive future security patches promptly
• Educate users about the risks of installing applications from untrusted sources

Patch Information

Apple has released security patches addressing this vulnerability across all affected platforms. Organizations and users should update to the following versions or later:

• macOS Ventura: Update to version 13.7.5 or later - See Apple Security Advisory #122374
• macOS Sonoma: Update to version 14.7.5 or later - See Apple Security Advisory #122375
• macOS Sequoia: Update to version 15.4 or later - See Apple Security Advisory #122373
• iOS and iPadOS: Update to version 18.4 or later - See Apple Security Advisory #122371

Workarounds

• Restrict application installations to only the Apple App Store and vetted enterprise applications
• Implement Mobile Device Management (MDM) policies to control application deployment and enforce security configurations
• Enable Gatekeeper on macOS to prevent execution of unsigned or untrusted applications
• Limit user privileges where possible to reduce the impact of potential exploitation

# Verify macOS version to confirm patch status
sw_vers -productVersion

# Check for pending software updates on macOS
softwareupdate --list

# Install all available updates
softwareupdate --install --all