CVE-2025-31246: 
macOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-31246 is a memory handling vulnerability discovered in Apple's macOS operating systems, specifically affecting the AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) service. The vulnerability was disclosed on May 12, 2025, and affects macOS Sequoia versions up to 15.5 and macOS Sonoma versions up to 14.7.6. The vulnerability was discovered by Joseph Ravichandran (@0xjprx) of MIT CSAIL (Apple Advisory, NVD).

The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling in the AFP service of macOS. When connecting to a malicious AFP server, the vulnerability could lead to kernel memory corruption. The issue has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating network accessibility with low attack complexity (NVD).

The vulnerability allows an attacker to corrupt kernel memory through a malicious AFP server connection, potentially leading to system compromise. The high CVSS score indicates that successful exploitation could result in significant impact on system confidentiality, integrity, and availability (NVD).

Apple has addressed this vulnerability by improving memory handling in macOS Sequoia 15.5 and macOS Sonoma 14.7.6. Users are advised to update their systems to these versions or later to mitigate the risk (Apple Advisory, Apple Advisory).