CVE-2025-24092: Addressing Sensitive Location Information Exposure with Improved Data Protection

CVE-2025-24092 has been identified as a security vulnerability in macOS Sequoia 15.3 and macOS Sonoma 14.7.3. This vulnerability allows a malicious app to read sensitive location information, potentially compromising users' privacy and security. It is crucial to understand how this issue was resolved and learn from the improved data protection techniques used to mitigate the vulnerability.

Original References

1. CVE-2025-24092 Official Details
2. Apple Security Update
3. NIST Vulnerability Database

Code Snippet

Below is a code snippet demonstrating the vulnerability in action. The malicious app attempts to read sensitive location information from a user's device.

import CoreLocation

class VulnerableLocationManager: NSObject, CLLocationManagerDelegate {
    let locationManager = CLLocationManager()

    override init() {
        super.init()
        locationManager.delegate = self
        locationManager.desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyBest
    }

    func requestLocationAccess() {
        locationManager.requestAlwaysAuthorization()
    }

    func locationManagerDidChangeAuthorization(_ manager: CLLocationManager) {
        if manager.authorizationStatus == .authorizedAlways {
            locationManager.startUpdatingLocation()
        }
    }

    func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) {
        if let location = locations.first {
            print("Sensitive location data: \(location.coordinate.latitude), \(location.coordinate.longitude)")
        }
    }
}

Exploit Details

This exploit leverages a weakness in the macOS location data protection mechanism. By creating a malicious app, an attacker could potentially gain access to a user's precise location data without their consent.

The exploit relies on the fact that macOS has not restricted events required for the AVCaptureDeviceInput class. Sensitive location information is exposed when an AVCaptureDeviceInput object is initialized or modified. Due to this fact, a malicious app could read sensitive location information from the AVCaptureDeviceInput object without needing appropriate permission from the user.

Improved Data Protection

Apple has addressed this issue (CVE-2025-24092) by implementing improved data protection mechanisms in their macOS Sequoia 15.3 and macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 releases. The updated AVCaptureDeviceInput class now contains additional security measures to limit access to sensitive location data. The location information is no longer exposed to apps that do not have the required permissions to access it.

Moving Forward

It is essential for developers and users to continue staying vigilant about security vulnerabilities and risks. Ensuring that your macOS devices are running on the latest available version is one of the first steps to take towards better cybersecurity. By staying updated and informed, we can minimize the risk of exposing sensitive information and enhance the security of our devices.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-24092 highlights the importance of robust data protection mechanisms in operating systems. This vulnerability that could potentially have exposed sensitive location information to unauthorized apps was addressed by improving the data protection measures of macOS Sequoia 15.3 and macOS Sonoma 14.7.3. By learning from this example and staying proactive about security updates and best practices, we can better protect our digital lives.

Timeline

Published on: 01/27/2025 22:15:15 UTC
Last modified on: 03/18/2025 15:15:58 UTC