CVE-2025-24278
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. 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 access protected user data.
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 confidenceThis is a macOS vulnerability involving improper validation of symbolic links (symlinks). The flaw allowed an application to potentially bypass security restrictions and access protected user data by manipulating symlinks. The fix implemented improved validation logic for symlink handling in macOS.
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>= 13.0, < 13.7.5>= 14.0, < 14.7.5>= 15.0, < 15.4CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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.
-
Determine installed macOS versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The reported version falls within any of these ranges: 13.0 to 13.7.4, 14.0 to 14.7.4, or 15.0 to 15.3.x
-
Identify macOS release nameRun: sw_vers -productVersionExtra or check the macOS name corresponding to the numeric version (13.x = Ventura, 14.x = Sonoma, 15.x = Sequoia)Affected if The system runs Ventura below 13.7.5, Sonoma below 14.7.5, or Sequoia below 15.4
-
Check for symbolic links in user-accessible directoriesRun: ls -la ~/Library and ls -la ~/Documents to inspect for any symlinks that may have been createdAffected if Symlinks exist that point to system-protected directories such as /Library/Application Support or other restricted locations
The system is affected if it runs any macOS Ventura version before 13.7.5, Sonoma before 14.7.5, or Sequoia before 15.4, and if untrusted applications could create or manipulate symlinks in user-writable directories.
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 · scoped13.7.514.7.515.4
Apply the appropriate macOS security update: Ventura 13.7.5, Sonoma 14.7.5, or Sequoia 15.4 depending on the macOS version in use.
macOS 15.4 (for macOS 15.x), macOS 14.7.5 (for macOS 14.x), or macOS 13.7.5 (for macOS 13.x)
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine before upgrading.
- Open System Settings (System Preferences on older macOS versions).
- Navigate to General > Software Update.
- Wait for macOS to check for available updates.
- If macOS 15.4, 14.7.5, or 13.7.5 is available, click Download and Install.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-24278 — 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-2025-24278 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
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.
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