macOS Sequoia CVE-2025-31272

Attacker must already be able to run code locally on the macOS host as a standard (non-root) user - consistent with CVSS AV:L and PR:L - for example via a malicious application bundle, a compromised user session, or a chained remote-access exploit; no user interaction is required once the malicious app is running (UI:N). Exploitation is limited to macOS versions before Sequoia 15.4; hosts patched to 15.4 or later, and any non-Sequoia macOS trains where the vulnerable launch-constraint code path is not present, are out of scope. The specific launch-constraint-protected binary or service that the attacker must target is not disclosed in Apple's advisory, which constrains both opportunistic reuse and defender hunting.

Signals are mixed-but-aligned toward moderate, targeted risk: CVSS 7.8 with AV:L/PR:L reflects a local privilege-escalation primitive rather than remote compromise, while CWE-269 and the C:H/I:H/A:H impact mean a successful exploit yields full system control on the host. CISA's SSVC decision frame is consistent with that: technical impact 'total' but exploitation 'none' and automatable 'no', so this is unlikely to drive worm-style mass abuse. No EPSS score, no KEV listing, and no public POC are present in the supplied data, suggesting realistic risk is bounded to local attackers already on the device (malware, malicious apps, post-initial-access escalation) - high priority for fleets running unpatched macOS but not an internet-facing emergency. One data gap to flag: Apple's advisory does not break down which sub-component of launch constraints was bypassed, so defenders cannot easily build behavioral detections without further reverse engineering.

A user is tricked into installing a seemingly benign signed application, or a low-privileged account is already compromised through a separate initial-access vector such as a browser exploit. The malicious app invokes a system binary in a way that defeats the launch-constraint check, causing the constrained binary to execute under the attacker's control with elevated privileges and yielding full read/write of system files, persistence installation, and disabling of endpoint security agents.