dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-24266

CRITICAL · 9.8 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 →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 was addressed with improved bounds checking. 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 cause unexpected system termination.

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 macOS that was addressed with improved bounds checking. The flaw allows a malicious application to potentially cause unexpected system termination (Denial of Service). The vulnerability affects macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, and macOS Sequoia 15.4, and was patched in those respective versions.

MitigationApply the macOS security updates (Ventura 13.7.5, Sonoma 14.7.5, or Sequoia 15.4) to all affected systems. In enterprise environments, deploy via MDM with controlled rollout and validation testing.

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version falls within 13.0 to 13.7.4, 14.0 to 14.7.4, or 15.0 to 15.3 (unpatched)
  2. Verify system update status
    Go to System Settings > General > Software Update, or run: system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType
    Affected if Security updates are not installed or the system shows available updates for Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia
  3. Confirm macOS release name
    Run: sw_vers -productVersion and match to release: 13.x=Ventura, 14.x=Sonoma, 15.x=Sequoia
    Affected if Running Ventura <13.7.5, Sonoma <14.7.5, or Sequoia <15.4
  4. Check if security patch applied
    Run: defaults read /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist ProductBuildVersion and compare to known patched builds
    Affected if Build version corresponds to an unpatched release within the affected ranges

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 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 macOS security updates (Ventura 13.7.5, Sonoma 14.7.5, or Sequoia 15.4) to all affected systems. In enterprise environments, deploy via MDM with controlled rollout and validation testing.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before applying any system update
  2. Determine your current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  3. Open System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. If your Mac is running macOS Ventura 13.x, install the macOS Ventura 13.7.5 security update
  5. If your Mac is running macOS Sonoma 14.x, install the macOS Sonoma 14.7.5 security update
  6. If your Mac is running macOS Sequoia 15.x, install the macOS Sequoia 15.4 update
  7. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-24266 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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