CVE-2025-31231: Apple macOS Information Disclosure Vulnerability

CVE-2025-31231 Overview

CVE-2025-31231 is an information disclosure vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows an application to read sensitive location information. Apple addressed the flaw by introducing additional permission restrictions in macOS Sequoia 15.4. The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-200] (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) and requires local access with user interaction. Successful exploitation compromises confidentiality of location data without impacting integrity or availability.

Critical Impact
A locally installed application can bypass macOS location permission controls to access sensitive geolocation data belonging to the user.

Affected Products

Apple macOS versions prior to macOS Sequoia 15.4

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-29 - CVE-2025-31231 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31231

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the permission model that governs how macOS applications request and receive access to user location data. Apple's advisory indicates that insufficient restrictions allowed an application to reach location information that should have been gated by user consent. The issue is local in nature and requires the victim to interact with a malicious or repurposed application. Exploitation exposes only confidentiality; system integrity and availability remain intact.

Root Cause

The root cause is an improper permission enforcement path within macOS location services. According to Apple's security advisory, the fix introduces additional restrictions on how applications can query location data. This behavior aligns with [CWE-200], where a resource containing sensitive information is made accessible to actors without proper authorization checks.

Attack Vector

An attacker must deliver an application to the target macOS system and induce the user to run it. Once executed, the application can query location-related APIs and receive data without triggering the expected authorization boundary. The attack does not require elevated privileges, but it does require user interaction to launch the app. Because the attack vector is local, remote exploitation over a network is not applicable.

No public proof-of-concept code has been published for CVE-2025-31231. Refer to the Apple Support Article for vendor-supplied technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31231

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected macOS applications invoking Core Location APIs or locationd without a corresponding entry in TCC.db authorization records.
Applications reading location caches or preference files outside of their expected sandbox scope.
Unsigned or ad-hoc signed binaries requesting location data shortly after first launch.

Detection Strategies

Audit installed applications against approved software inventories and flag binaries that interact with location services but lack legitimate business need.
Monitor Endpoint Security framework events for processes attaching to locationd or accessing location-related IPC endpoints.
Correlate application installation events with subsequent location API calls to identify anomalous access patterns.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward macOS Unified Log entries related to locationd, tccd, and Core Location subsystems to a centralized log platform.
Track macOS version compliance and alert on hosts running builds earlier than macOS Sequoia 15.4.
Review privacy consent prompts and TCC modifications for irregular grants tied to newly installed applications.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31231

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade affected macOS endpoints to macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later, which contains the vendor patch.
Inventory installed third-party applications and remove software that lacks a verified publisher or business justification.
Restrict user ability to install unsigned applications via Gatekeeper and MDM policy.

Patch Information

Apple resolved CVE-2025-31231 in macOS Sequoia 15.4 by adding permission restrictions to location data access. Deployment details are documented in the Apple Support Article. Administrators should schedule updates through their mobile device management (MDM) platform and confirm the resulting build version on each managed host.

Workarounds

Disable Location Services system-wide for users who do not require the functionality until patching is complete.
Enforce application allowlisting through MDM to prevent execution of untrusted binaries.
Review and revoke unnecessary Privacy & Security permissions granted to applications under System Settings.

bash

# Verify macOS build version meets the patched release
sw_vers -productVersion

# Disable Location Services temporarily (requires admin privileges)
sudo defaults write /var/db/locationd/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.locationd LocationServicesEnabled -int 0
sudo launchctl kickstart -k system/com.apple.locationd