dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43199

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.7.7 / 14.7.7 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A permissions issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7. A malicious app may be able to gain root privileges.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in macOS where a malicious application can exploit a permissions misconfiguration to gain root-level privileges. The vulnerability was addressed by removing the vulnerable code path in the affected macOS versions.

MitigationUpdate macOS to version 13.7.7 (Ventura), 14.7.7 (Sonoma), or 15.6 (Sequoia) as appropriate for your deployment. Additionally, follow least-privilege principles and avoid running untrusted applications.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 13.7.7>= 14.0, < 14.7.7>= 15.0, < 15.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to see the exact version number (e.g., 14.6.3, 15.4, 13.6.5)
    Affected if The version shown is less than 13.7.7, or between 14.0 and 14.6.x, or between 15.0 and 15.5.x
  2. Identify the macOS release family
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' and note whether the major version starts with 13 (Ventura), 14 (Sonoma), or 15 (Sequoia)
    Affected if The system runs Ventura below 13.7.7, Sonoma below 14.7.7, or Sequoia below 15.6
  3. Confirm patch status via Software Update
    Open System Settings > General > Software Update and check if any updates are available, or run 'softwareupdate -l' in Terminal
    Affected if A security update (13.7.7, 14.7.7, or 15.6) is available but not yet installed

The system is affected if it runs any macOS version below 13.7.7 (Ventura), 14.7.7 (Sonoma), or 15.6 (Sequoia), since the vulnerability exists in those unpatched releases.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 13.7.7 / 14.7.7 / 15.6 or later
Fixed in 13.7.714.7.715.6
Interim mitigation

Update macOS to version 13.7.7 (Ventura), 14.7.7 (Sonoma), or 15.6 (Sequoia) as appropriate for your deployment. Additionally, follow least-privilege principles and avoid running untrusted applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Ventura 13.7.7 / macOS Sonoma 14.7.7 / macOS Sequoia 15.6 (depending on current major version)

  1. Identify the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version: if running Ventura (13.x), upgrade to 13.7.7; if running Sonoma (14.x), upgrade to 14.7.7; if running Sequoia (15.x), upgrade to 15.6
  3. Back up critical data using Time Machine or another backup method before applying updates
  4. Open System Settings and navigate to General > Software Update
  5. Click Check for Updates and install the available security update that corresponds to the fixed version for your macOS release
  6. Restart the Mac when prompted to complete the installation
  7. Verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac to confirm the version matches 13.7.7, 14.7.7, or 15.6 as applicable
Caveat Standard macOS point updates typically have minimal breaking changes; however, ensure critical data is backed up before updating as a precaution

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-43199 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data