dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-24228

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.7.5 / 14.7.5 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
A buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, macOS Ventura 13.7.5. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

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 · high confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability in the macOS kernel allows a malicious application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level access. This is a privilege escalation issue where user-space code can gain ring-0 execution capabilities.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update (15.4 for Sequoia, 14.7.5 for Sonoma, or 13.7.5 for Ventura) to patch the kernel buffer overflow. Prioritize updates for systems running untrusted applications.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 13.0, < 13.7.5>= 14.0, < 14.7.5>= 15.0, < 15.4

CVSS 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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or view System Settings > About > macOS version
    Affected if The version returned is 13.0 to 13.7.4, 14.0 to 14.7.4, or 15.0 to 15.3.x (any version below 13.7.5, 14.7.5, or 15.4)
  2. Confirm the Darwin kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' in Terminal to get the kernel release number
    Affected if The kernel version corresponds to an affected macOS release (kernel versions below the ones shipped with 13.7.5, 14.7.5, or 15.4)
  3. Check if macOS security updates are installed
    View System Settings > General > Software Update and check the installed security update history, or run 'defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist LastSuccessfulDate'
    Affected if The system has not received the security update released for this vulnerability (the specific patches dated with the CVE)
  4. Verify System Integrity Protection status
    Run 'csrutil status' in Terminal (requires recovery mode to change)
    Affected if SIP is disabled - while not the primary detection method, a disabled SIP increases exploitability of kernel vulnerabilities; however, the vulnerability exists regardless of SIP status

A system is affected if it runs macOS Ventura 13.0-13.7.4, Sonoma 14.0-14.7.4, or Sequoia 15.0-15.3.x without the corresponding security update installed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 13.7.5 / 14.7.5 / 15.4 or later
Fixed in 13.7.514.7.515.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update (15.4 for Sequoia, 14.7.5 for Sonoma, or 13.7.5 for Ventura) to patch the kernel buffer overflow. Prioritize updates for systems running untrusted applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 13.7.5 (Ventura), macOS 14.7.5 (Sonoma), or macOS 15.4 (Sequoia) depending on your current major version

  1. 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before upgrading.
  2. 2. Connect your Mac to power to ensure the update process is not interrupted.
  3. 3. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
  4. 4. Click on General in the sidebar.
  5. 5. Click Software Update.
  6. 6. If an update is available, click Update Now to download and install the appropriate version: macOS 13.7.5 for Ventura, macOS 14.7.5 for Sonoma, or macOS 15.4 for Sequoia.
  7. 7. Allow the update to complete; your Mac may restart several times.
  8. 8. After the update completes, verify the installed version by going to System Settings > General > About and confirm the macOS version matches the expected patched release.
Caveat Most users should not experience breaking changes; however, older 32-bit applications may no longer work, and some system preferences locations have changed in newer macOS versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-24228 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-24228 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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