CVE-2025-43291
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 · uneditedA permissions issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, macOS Tahoe 26. An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.
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 confidenceThis is a macOS permission bypass vulnerability where an application could modify protected parts of the file system. The fix involved removing the vulnerable code from affected macOS versions (Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, Tahoe 26). This allows local applications with low privileges to escalate by writing to protected system directories.
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>= 14.0, < 14.8>= 15.0, < 15.7CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionRun `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal or go to System Settings > AboutAffected if Version is 14.0 to 14.7.x or 15.0 to 15.6.x
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Confirm macOS release nameRun `sw_vers -productVersionExtra` or check System Settings > About next to version numberAffected if Shows Sonoma (14.x) or Sequoia (15.x)
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Verify patch statusRun `softwareupdate --list` to see available updates, or check System Settings > Software UpdateAffected if Updates to 14.8, 15.7, or 26 are available but not installed
You are affected if macOS Sonoma is between 14.0 and 14.7.x, or macOS Sequoia is between 15.0 and 15.6.x, and the security update has not been applied.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped14.815.7
Update macOS devices to the fixed versions (Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, or Tahoe 26) via Apple Software Update or MDM patch management.
macOS Sonoma 14.8 or macOS Sequoia 15.7 (depending on current version)
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before applying system updates
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Navigate to General > Software Update
- Check for available updates
- Install macOS 14.8 if running macOS Sonoma (14.0-14.7), or install macOS 15.7 if running macOS Sequoia (15.0-15.6)
- Restart your Mac if prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43291 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-43291 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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