External risk intelligence

macOS Safari Bookmark Access Without Entitlement Check

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8)

CVE-2025-24259

This vulnerability affects local applications running on macOS and iPadOS, involving the retrieval of browser bookmarks by another app on the same device. It is a client-side issue dependent on local software execution, not a network-reachable service, web application, or internet-facing gateway.

Apple Macos

13.0 to before 13.7.514.0 to before 14.7.515.0 to before 15.4

Halo Surface Signal: 1 out of 5 — much less likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

This issue involves an Apple operating system vulnerability that could allow an application to access Safari bookmarks without proper authorization. While this vulnerability is critical, its impact is primarily localized to individual devices, suggesting the main concern is confirming if our specific Apple devices are affected and, if so, the extent of that exposure.

Unauthorized app access to Safari bookmarks.
Confirms relevance and exposure on affected Apple devices.
Assess device exposure; localized impact.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker could leverage a malicious application to bypass security checks and access sensitive user data stored within Safari bookmarks. This vulnerability allows an app to read this information without the necessary permissions, potentially leading to unauthorized data disclosure.

No prior access needed.
App bypasses entitlement checks.
Risk of sensitive data exposure.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability could allow an app to access Safari bookmarks without the required permissions. This exposure could occur when an app is installed and run on an affected system.

Safari bookmarks could be accessed.
An app could retrieve bookmarks without checks.
Unauthorized access to user browsing history.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

This critical vulnerability, allowing unauthorized access to Safari bookmarks, likely impacts macOS and iPadOS deployments. Responsibility typically falls to platform or endpoint security teams who manage these operating systems. The immediate first step is to identify all affected systems, assess their business criticality and exposure, and then coordinate with vendor management or internal teams to plan for the necessary operating system updates.

Platform and security teams own the fix.
Verify affected macOS and iPadOS systems.
Plan and deploy operating system updates.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

Halo Threat Intelligence helps prioritize remediation with Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context. Start exposure validation with a free external attack surface trial.

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Frequently asked questions

What is macOS and how does it relate to this issue?

macOS is the primary operating system used by Apple computers, managing hardware resources and enabling users to run desktop applications. This vulnerability specifically concerns the internal security mechanisms of macOS and iPadOS that regulate how different apps interact with private user data, such as your saved web browser bookmarks in Safari.

How does CWE-284 apply to CVE-2025-24259?

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control. In plain terms, it means the operating system fails to verify that an application has the proper digital permissions before allowing it to perform a sensitive action. For this specific CVE, the system neglects to check if an app is authorized to read your personal Safari bookmarks, allowing unauthorized software to bypass intended security boundaries.

Do I need a network connection for this bug to trigger?

No. This issue does not rely on network requests or remote access to trigger. Instead, the vulnerability is local to the device and requires a malicious application to be installed and actively running on the system to retrieve the bookmark data. Simply browsing the internet or connecting to a network does not initiate the flaw.

Is my device at risk based on Halo Surface Signal?

According to Halo Surface Signal, this vulnerability is categorized as very unlikely to be exposed via typical network attack vectors. Because the bug requires a local app to act on the device itself, it is not a traditional internet-facing risk. Your primary concern is the integrity of applications installed directly on your macOS or iPadOS systems rather than external gateway exposure.

How should I respond to this vulnerability?

To address this, identify all systems in your environment running versions of macOS or iPadOS prior to the patched releases. Prioritize updating these devices to the latest available software versions provided by Apple, which include the necessary entitlement checks to prevent unauthorized access. Coordination with your device management or endpoint security teams is recommended to ensure these updates are deployed across your fleet.

References

Written by Nicholas Merritt

Nicholas Merritt is VP of Security Solutions at Halo Security. With more than 25 years across application security, vulnerability prioritization, and offensive security, he helps teams translate threat data into practical exposure validation and remediation focus. He authors Halo Threat Intelligence CVE advisories using Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context to prioritize internet-facing risk.