PoC Exploit Published for macOS Sandbox Escape Vulnerability (CVE-2025-31258)

Security researchers have disclosed a new macOS sandbox escape vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-31258, accompanied by a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit demonstrating partial sandbox bypass via Apple’s RemoteViewServices framework.

The flaw, discovered by researcher wh1te4ever, exposes weaknesses in macOS’s inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms that could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code outside application sandbox constraints.

With the PoC now publicly available on GitHub, concerns mount over potential exploitation campaigns targeting unpatched systems until Apple releases an official fix.

The vulnerability resides in macOS’s RemoteViewServices framework, a system service designed to facilitate cross-process UI rendering for features like app extensions and inter-app communication.

According to the PoC’s technical documentation, the framework inadequately validates client-supplied data during view-hosting requests, allowing malicious actors to manipulate memory allocation routines.

By crafting a malicious application that abuses RemoteViewServices’ createViewProxyWithOptions API, attackers can trigger a race condition between sandboxed and non-sandboxed processes.

This grants the attacker’s code execution in the context of the system’s ViewBridge service (running as root), effectively bypassing the App Sandbox’s file system and network restrictions.

The exploit achieves partial sandbox escape by leveraging improper synchronization in XPC message handling, enabling lateral movement to other privileged services.

Notably, the current PoC demonstrates read/write access to protected directories like ~/Library and limited command execution but does not achieve full kernel-level privileges.

However, security analysts warn that combining this exploit with a separate kernel vulnerability could lead to complete system compromise.

Impact on macOS Security Posture

Apple’s App Sandbox serves as a critical defense layer, restricting applications to minimal resource access. CVE-2025-31258 undermines this isolation model, particularly threatening enterprise environments where sandboxed apps handle sensitive data.

The flaw affects macOS Ventura 13.4 through Sonoma 14.2, with exploitation requiring user interaction to launch a malicious app.

While no in-the-wild attacks have been reported, the PoC’s release increases short-term risks. Attackers could weaponize the exploit to:

• Bypass macOS transparency, consent, and control (TCC) protections.
• Extract encryption keys from sandboxed password managers.
• Tamper with restricted system caches and logs.

Security teams emphasize that the partial sandbox escape still poses significant risks when chained with post-exploitation tools, enabling data exfiltration or ransomware deployment.

Mitigation and Patch Status

Apple has acknowledged the vulnerability and assigned it a CVSSv3 score of 7.8 (High severity). A patch is expected in macOS 14.3, but until its release, administrators should:

1. Block execution of untrusted Mach-O binaries via endpoint protection tools.
2. Audit third-party apps using RemoteViewServices APIs.
3. Monitor for unexpected ViewBridge service child processes.

The cybersecurity community urges developers to review IPC implementations and adopt formal verification methods for XPC handlers.

Meanwhile, users awaiting the official update should avoid installing unvetted applications and enforce code signing policies.

This incident highlights the evolving challenges in securing IPC architectures within modern operating systems, reiterating the need for defense-in-depth strategies against sandbox escape threats.

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