dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43245

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 downgrade issue was addressed with additional code-signing restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7. An app may be able to access protected user data.

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 · high confidence

A code-signing downgrade vulnerability in macOS that allowed an application to bypass security restrictions via downgrade attacks. The fix implements additional code-signing restrictions to prevent reverting to vulnerable code versions, which could enable unauthorized access to protected user data.

MitigationApply the macOS security updates (Sequoia 15.6, Sonoma 14.7.7, Ventura 13.7.7 or later) to implement the code-signing restrictions that block the downgrade attack vector.

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. Check your macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: `sw_vers -productVersion` or click Apple menu > About This Mac
    Affected if The version shown is 13.7.6 or earlier, 14.0-14.7.6, or 15.0-15.5 (these fall within the affected ranges)
  2. Verify code signing is active on critical system binaries
    Run: `codesign -dv /usr/libexec/xxx` on a known system library, or check that Gatekeeper reports no errors for installed applications
    Affected if Code signing validation fails or returns errors indicating signature verification issues
  3. Check for recent security update installation
    Open System Settings > General > Software Update and check the last installed update date and version, or run: `system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType`
    Affected if No security update installed after July 2025 (the patch release date) or the system reports being on an unpatched version
  4. Confirm the code-signing subsystem behavior
    Attempt to load or verify a signed system component using: `codesign --verify --verbose=2 /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app`
    Affected if Verification succeeds but the system allows loading of older signed versions that should be blocked by the fix

Your system is affected if it runs macOS Ventura before 13.7.7, Sonoma before 14.7.7, or Sequoia before 15.6, and has not received the corresponding security update that enforces stricter code-signing restrictions.

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

Apply the macOS security updates (Sequoia 15.6, Sonoma 14.7.7, Ventura 13.7.7 or later) to implement the code-signing restrictions that block the downgrade attack vector.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. Back up important data on the Mac before proceeding with the update
  2. Check the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  3. Determine which macOS major version is currently installed (Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia)
  4. Upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.7.7 if currently running a version earlier than 13.7.7
  5. Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.7.7 if currently running macOS 14.x (versions earlier than 14.7.7)
  6. Upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.6 if currently running macOS 15.x (versions earlier than 15.6)
  7. Restart the Mac when prompted to complete the installation
  8. Verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac shows the correct fixed version
Caveat Standard macOS upgrade - review Apple release notes for any app compatibility changes before upgrading

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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-2025-43245 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