CVE-2025-31272
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 macOS Sequoia 15.4. An app may be able to bypass launch constraint protections and execute malicious code with elevated 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 · moderate confidenceA local privilege escalation vulnerability in macOS where a malicious application could bypass launch constraint protections to execute code with elevated privileges due to insufficient validation checks.
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< 15.4CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or check System Settings > About > macOS versionAffected if The installed version is lower than 15.4 (e.g., 15.3.2, 14.x, 13.x, etc.)
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Check for unauthorized privileged executablesRun 'ls -la /Library/LaunchDaemons/' and 'ls -la /Library/LaunchAgents/' to inspect launch items for unexpected entriesAffected if Any unexpected or unknown launch daemon or agent files exist that you did not install
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Review recent privilege escalation eventsRun 'log show --predicate 'eventMessage contains "privilege"' --last 24h' to review system logs for privilege escalation attemptsAffected if Logs show unauthorized privilege escalation events or attempts to bypass launch constraints
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Check for suspicious elevated processesRun 'ps -ef | grep -v UID' and inspect the UID column for processes running as root (UID 0) that you do not recognizeAffected if Unknown processes are running with root privileges
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Audit application installationsRun 'spctl --master-disable' to check Gatekeeper status, then review /Applications folder for any unknown or recently installed applicationsAffected if Applications from untrusted sources are present or Gatekeeper is disabled
You are affected if your macOS version is below 15.4 AND you have any unauthorized privileged executables, suspicious root processes, or unknown applications installed that could exploit the launch constraint bypass.
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 · scoped15.4
Apply macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later patch; as a workaround, restrict application installation to trusted sources and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.
macOS Sequoia 15.4
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before proceeding with the update
- Ensure your Mac is connected to power and has sufficient battery charge (at least 50% or connected to AC power)
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Navigate to General > Software Update
- Click 'Check for Update' or allow the system to automatically check
- If macOS Sequoia 15.4 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.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-31272 — 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-2025-31272 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