CVE-2025-46284

Vulnerability

A race condition exists in the symlink validation logic of macOS, affecting versions prior to macOS Sequoia 15.7 and macOS Tahoe 26. The issue arises from a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) flaw where the system validates a symlink path but does not prevent the symlink from being swapped to a different target before the validated path is used. This allows a malicious app to trick the system into operating on a privileged file or directory. The vulnerability is addressed with additional validation in the fixed releases [1][2].

Exploitation

An attacker must have the ability to run a malicious app on the target system (local access). The exploit involves creating a symlink and then, during a narrow race window between the system's validation of the symlink and its subsequent use, replacing the symlink target with a file or directory that the attacker should not have access to. Successful exploitation requires precise timing and repeated attempts, but the race condition can be reliably triggered under controlled conditions.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the malicious app to gain root privileges on the affected system. With root access, the attacker can execute arbitrary code with full system control, install persistent malware, access sensitive data, and bypass security restrictions. The impact is severe, as it compromises the entire operating system's integrity and confidentiality.

Mitigation

Apple has addressed this vulnerability in macOS Sequoia 15.7 and macOS Tahoe 26, both released on September 15, 2025 [1][2]. Users are strongly advised to update to the latest available version for their hardware. No workarounds are documented; the only mitigation is applying the security update.