CVE-2025-31244
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 · uneditedA file quarantine bypass was addressed with additional checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.5. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.
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 confidenceA file quarantine bypass vulnerability in macOS Sequoia allowed a malicious application to circumvent file quarantine checks and escape its sandbox containment. The fix adds additional validation checks to properly enforce quarantine restrictions and prevent unauthorized file access or execution outside the sandbox.
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< 15.5CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionGo to Apple menu > About This Mac or run 'sw_vers' command in TerminalAffected if The version shown is earlier than macOS 15.5 (any version < 15.5)
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Verify file quarantine is activeRun 'defaults read com.apple.LaunchServices' or inspect downloaded files for quarantine attribute using 'xattr -l <filename>'Affected if File quarantine is enabled (default state on macOS) and the OS version is below 15.5
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Confirm system is using macOS SequoiaCheck the macOS version name in About This Mac - it should display 'macOS Sequoia'Affected if Running macOS Sequoia with version < 15.5
The system is affected if it runs any version of macOS Sequoia earlier than 15.5, with file quarantine enabled (the default state for downloaded files).
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 · scoped15.5
Apply macOS Sequoia 15.5 or later to receive the security patch that addresses the file quarantine bypass vulnerability.
macOS Sequoia 15.5
- Back up important data on your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before starting the update
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Click on 'General' in the sidebar
- Click on 'Software Update'
- Ensure your Mac is connected to power and Wi-Fi
- Click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to download and install macOS Sequoia 15.5
- Follow the on-screen instructions and allow the Mac to restart as needed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-31244 — 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-2025-31244 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