CVE-2025-24103
Apple Macos ≤ 13.7.3
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2025-24103 is a medium-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Apple Macos. Its CVSS base score is 5.5 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 48th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-24103 is a symlink validation vulnerability (CWE-59) affecting macOS systems prior to the patched versions of macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, and macOS Ventura 13.7.3. The flaw allows an app to bypass security restrictions and access protected user data due to insufficient checks on symbolic links during file operations. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating a medium-severity local confidentiality issue.
A local attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious app that leverages symlinks to read sensitive user data otherwise protected from unauthorized access. Exploitation requires low complexity and no special privileges (PR:N), but user interaction is necessary, such as running the app. Successful attacks result in high-impact unauthorized disclosure of confidential information without affecting integrity or availability.
Apple's security advisories detail the fix as improved symlink validation, urging users to update to macOS Sequoia 15.3, Sonoma 14.7.3, or Ventura 13.7.3. Relevant support pages include https://support.apple.com/en-us/122068, https://support.apple.com/en-us/122069, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/122070, with additional full disclosure discussions at http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jan/15 and http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jan/16.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-3618
Vulnerability Data
This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.7.3. An app may be able to access protected user data.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V15.4.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Proper enforcement of access authorizations on the resolved target resource stops a link from reaching an unintended object.
Least-privilege limits the damage an attacker can cause after following an unintended link.
Validating file-name inputs can reject or canonicalize names that resolve to links before access occurs.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require code to validate paths and avoid unsafe link following.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect link-following flaws before release.
Secure SDLC practices can mandate link-resolution checks and canonicalization before file access.
Application security requirements can explicitly require safe handling of symbolic links and path traversal.
Secure architecture principles include input validation and safe file-access design patterns.
Secure coding standards directly address canonicalization and symlink attacks during implementation.
Access-control rules can limit which files are reachable, reducing exposure to malicious links.