CVE-2025-30461: Apple macOS Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-30461 Overview

CVE-2025-30461 is a critical access control vulnerability in Apple macOS affecting the system pasteboards. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sandbox restrictions, which allows a malicious application to bypass intended security boundaries and access protected user data. Apple addressed this issue by implementing additional sandbox restrictions on the system pasteboards in macOS Sequoia 15.4.

Critical Impact
A malicious application can exploit insufficient sandbox restrictions to access protected user data, potentially exposing sensitive information including clipboard contents, credentials, and personal data copied between applications.

Affected Products

Apple macOS (versions prior to Sequoia 15.4)
macOS Sequoia (versions below 15.4)

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-31 - CVE-2025-30461 published to NVD
2025-11-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-30461

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicating that the system pasteboards component lacked proper authorization checks to prevent unauthorized access to protected user data. The macOS sandbox mechanism is designed to isolate applications and restrict their access to system resources and user data. However, due to inadequate restrictions on the system pasteboards, a malicious application could circumvent these protections.

The system pasteboard serves as an inter-process communication mechanism that allows applications to share data through copy and paste operations. When sandbox restrictions are insufficient, an application can read pasteboard contents without proper authorization, potentially capturing sensitive information that users copy between trusted applications—such as passwords, authentication tokens, personal documents, or financial information.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-30461 is missing authorization checks (CWE-862) in the macOS system pasteboard implementation. The sandbox policy governing pasteboard access did not adequately restrict which applications could read or monitor pasteboard contents. This architectural oversight allowed applications to access pasteboard data that should have been protected by sandbox boundaries, effectively bypassing the principle of least privilege.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, meaning a remotely delivered application (such as one downloaded from the internet) could exploit this flaw. An attacker could craft a malicious application that:

Gets installed on the target system through social engineering, phishing, or other distribution methods
Runs within the macOS environment with standard application privileges
Monitors or accesses the system pasteboard without proper authorization
Extracts sensitive data that users have copied, such as passwords, personal information, or confidential documents

The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond installing and running the malicious application. The attack complexity is low, and no special privileges are required for exploitation, making this a particularly dangerous vulnerability.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-30461

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual application processes repeatedly accessing pasteboard services without legitimate user-initiated copy operations
Applications exhibiting unexpected pasteboard read operations logged in system audit trails
Presence of unknown or unsigned applications with pasteboard access entitlements
Anomalous data exfiltration patterns coinciding with clipboard usage

Detection Strategies

Monitor macOS unified logs for unusual com.apple.pasteboard subsystem activities from untrusted applications
Implement endpoint detection rules to flag applications with excessive pasteboard read operations
Utilize SentinelOne's behavioral AI to identify applications exhibiting data harvesting patterns from system clipboard
Review installed applications for proper code signatures and notarization status

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable comprehensive audit logging for pasteboard-related system calls using macOS Endpoint Security Framework
Deploy SentinelOne Singularity platform for continuous behavioral monitoring of application pasteboard access
Establish baseline metrics for normal pasteboard usage patterns to identify anomalous behavior
Implement alerting for applications attempting to access pasteboard data from sandboxed contexts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-30461

Immediate Actions Required

Update all macOS systems to Sequoia 15.4 or later immediately
Audit installed applications and remove any untrusted or unnecessary software
Enable Gatekeeper and ensure only notarized applications from identified developers can run
Review and restrict application permissions through System Settings > Privacy & Security

Patch Information

Apple has released macOS Sequoia 15.4 to address this vulnerability. The update implements additional sandbox restrictions on the system pasteboards to prevent unauthorized access to protected user data. Administrators should apply this update through standard macOS update mechanisms or through MDM solutions for enterprise deployments.

For detailed patch information, refer to the Apple Support Article. Additional technical details are available via the Full Disclosure Mailing List Post.

Workarounds

Restrict software installation to applications from the Mac App Store or identified developers only
Avoid copying sensitive information such as passwords to the clipboard; use password manager autofill features instead
Implement application allowlisting through enterprise management tools to prevent unauthorized applications from running
Deploy endpoint protection solutions like SentinelOne that can detect and block malicious application behavior

bash

# Verify macOS version and ensure Sequoia 15.4 or later is installed
sw_vers -productVersion

# Check for pending software updates
softwareupdate --list

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

# Verify Gatekeeper is enabled
spctl --status