CVE-2025-31224: Privacy Preference Bypass Vulnerability in macOS

Overview

This blog post focuses on an important security vulnerability, CVE-2025-31224, affecting several versions of Apple’s macOS. This vulnerability stems from a logic flaw that, if exploited, could potentially allow an attacker to bypass certain privacy preferences. The seriousness of this vulnerability is underscored by its CVSS Severity Score of 7.8, indicating that it poses a high risk to system security and data integrity.
The implications of CVE-2025-31224 are far-reaching, as it affects a broad swath of macOS users, particularly those using macOS Ventura 13.7.6, macOS Sequoia 15.5, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.6. The vulnerability matters because, if left unpatched, it could lead to system compromise or data leakage, putting sensitive personal and corporate information at risk.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-31224
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

macOS Ventura | 13.7.6
macOS Sequoia | 15.5
macOS Sonoma | 14.7.6

How the Exploit Works

The CVE-2025-31224 vulnerability is a result of a logic flaw in the handling of privacy preferences in certain macOS versions. An attacker could potentially exploit this flaw by designing a malicious application that bypasses these preferences, granting them unauthorized access to sensitive data or system resources.

Conceptual Example Code

While specific exploit code would vary depending on the target system and the attacker’s objective, a conceptual example of an exploit might involve a malicious app requesting access to sensitive data. The privacy preference bypass flaw could allow this request to be granted without the user’s consent:

import Foundation
let fileManager = FileManager.default
let documentsURL = fileManager.urls(for: .documentDirectory, in: .userDomainMask)[0]
do {
let fileURLs = try fileManager.contentsOfDirectory(at: documentsURL, includingPropertiesForKeys: nil)
// process files
} catch {
print("Error while enumerating files \(documentsURL.path): \(error.localizedDescription)")
}

In this conceptual Swift code, a malicious application might attempt to access the user’s documents directory, a request that should be denied under normal privacy settings. Due to the CVE-2025-31224 vulnerability, this request might be granted, violating the user’s privacy preferences and potentially exposing sensitive data.