CVE-2025-31243 Overview
CVE-2025-31243 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Apple macOS. Apple addressed the issue by introducing additional permission restrictions in affected components. The flaw allows a malicious application running on the local system to gain root privileges, fully compromising the host.
Apple resolved the defect in macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, and macOS Ventura 13.7.7. The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-269] Improper Privilege Management. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction, but successful exploitation yields complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the affected endpoint.
Critical Impact
A local application can escalate to root, granting full control over the macOS system and any data it stores or processes.
Affected Products
- Apple macOS Ventura prior to 13.7.7
- Apple macOS Sonoma prior to 14.7.7
- Apple macOS Sequoia prior to 15.6
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-07-30 - CVE-2025-31243 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-31243
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2025-31243 stems from improper privilege management in a macOS component. The original implementation did not enforce sufficient restrictions on a privileged operation, allowing an unprivileged application to influence behavior reserved for higher-privileged contexts. Apple's advisory describes the remediation as adding restrictions to close the permissions gap.
The weakness maps to [CWE-269] Improper Privilege Management. Vulnerabilities in this class typically result from missing entitlement checks, overly broad inherited capabilities, or trust placed in attacker-controlled inputs during privileged code paths. Once exploited, the attacker obtains root, which on macOS bypasses System Integrity Protection-aware boundaries that depend on user-level isolation.
Apple has not published low-level technical details beyond the support documents. Public disclosure references on the Full Disclosure mailing list provide additional context for researchers analyzing the patched components.
Root Cause
The root cause is a permissions issue in a macOS subsystem where access controls were insufficient to prevent a non-privileged process from triggering privileged behavior. Apple's fix introduces additional restrictions, indicating the original code lacked adequate authorization checks for the operation.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access to the macOS host and user interaction, consistent with the CVSS vector indicating a local attack vector with required user interaction. An attacker typically delivers a malicious application through phishing, supply chain compromise, or repackaged software. When a user launches the application, it abuses the unrestricted operation to elevate to root.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently catalogued, and the vulnerability is not listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Technical details are referenced in the Full Disclosure Mailing List archive.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31243
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected processes running as root that were launched from user-writable locations such as /Users/*/Downloads, /Users/*/Library, or /tmp.
- Newly created LaunchDaemons or LaunchAgents under /Library/LaunchDaemons or ~/Library/LaunchAgents immediately after a user opens an untrusted application.
- Modifications to protected system files or sudoers entries originating from non-administrative user sessions.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor for child processes spawned with effective UID 0 from parent processes running under a standard user account.
- Audit invocations of privileged helper tools (SMJobBless, XPC services) by unsigned or recently installed applications.
- Correlate Gatekeeper, XProtect, and Endpoint Security Framework telemetry to surface applications that bypass standard privilege boundaries.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward macOS Unified Logs and Endpoint Security events to a centralized analytics platform for behavioral analysis of privilege transitions.
- Track macOS build versions across the fleet and alert on endpoints still running pre-patch versions (below 13.7.7, 14.7.7, or 15.6).
- Review installation logs in /var/log/install.log for unsigned package installations that precede privilege elevation events.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31243
Immediate Actions Required
- Update affected macOS endpoints to macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, or macOS Ventura 13.7.7 without delay.
- Inventory macOS devices and prioritize patching for systems used by administrators, developers, and privileged-access users.
- Restrict installation of unsigned or unnotarized applications using Gatekeeper policy enforcement and MDM configuration profiles.
Patch Information
Apple released fixes in macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, and macOS Ventura 13.7.7. Reference the official advisories: Apple Support Document 124149, Apple Support Document 124150, and Apple Support Document 124151. Apply updates through Software Update or your MDM platform.
Workarounds
- No vendor-supplied workaround exists; apply the official patches.
- Limit user accounts to standard (non-administrator) privileges to reduce the blast radius of malicious application execution.
- Enforce application allowlisting through MDM to block execution of untrusted binaries until patching completes.
# Verify macOS build version on an endpoint
sw_vers -productVersion
# Trigger Software Update from the command line
sudo softwareupdate -l
sudo softwareupdate -ia --restart
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
