CVE-2025-24226
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in Xcode 16.3. A malicious app may be able to access private information.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThis is an Apple ecosystem vulnerability (likely in macOS/iOS) where a malicious application could bypass authorization checks to access private user information. The vulnerability was addressed with improved validation checks and is patched in Xcode 16.3. The CVSS vector suggests a local attack vector with high confidentiality impact but no authentication required.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 16.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Xcode versionOpen Terminal and run: xcodebuild -version. Alternatively, open Xcode > About Xcode to view the version number.Affected if The reported version is below 16.3 (e.g., 16.2, 16.1, etc.)
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Check for unauthorized third-party applicationsReview the /Applications folder for any unfamiliar or suspicious applications that were installed without your knowledge.Affected if Unknown or untrusted applications exist that could potentially exploit the authorization bypass
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Audit access to private user dataReview system logs for unusual access patterns. Check Privacy & Security settings in System Settings to see which applications have access to sensitive data categories (Contacts, Photos, Calendar, etc.).Affected if Applications without explicit user approval have accessed sensitive data categories, or unexpected apps appear in privacy permissions
You are affected if Xcode version is below 16.3 and any untrusted or unauthorized applications exist on the system that could leverage the authorization bypass to access private user information.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped16.3
Update to Xcode 16.3 or later to incorporate the patched components. Review application sandboxing policies and ensure no unauthorized access to sensitive data has occurred.
Xcode 16.3
- Check current Xcode version by opening Xcode > About Xcode
- Download Xcode 16.3 from the Apple Developer portal (developer.apple.com) or Mac App Store
- Quit any running instances of Xcode
- Install Xcode 16.3 by opening the downloaded .xip file or running the installer
- After installation, verify the fix by checking Xcode > About Xcode shows version 16.3
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-24226 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-24226 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data