CVE-2025-43305
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 logic issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, macOS Tahoe 26. A malicious app may be able to access private information.
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 logic flaw in macOS where insufficient authorization checks allow a malicious local application to bypass access controls and access private information that should be protected. The vulnerability is fixed in Apple's updated macOS releases (Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, Tahoe 26) through improved validation logic.
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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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.
-
Check installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to System Settings > About > macOS versionAffected if Version is 14.0 to 14.7.x (Sonoma) or 15.0 to 15.6.x (Sequoia)
-
Verify Gatekeeper is enabledRun 'spctl --status' in Terminal to check if Gatekeeper is allowing or denying appsAffected if Gatekeeper is disabled (status shows 'assessments disabled') - this increases exposure to malicious local apps
-
Review application permissionsGo to System Settings > Privacy & Security and inspect which apps have access to sensitive categories like Contacts, Photos, Calendar, or Files and FoldersAffected if Any untrusted or unknown third-party applications have been granted privacy-sensitive permissions
-
Check for unknown third-party appsInspect /Applications folder or run 'ls /Applications' in Terminal for apps you did not installAffected if Suspicious or unknown applications are present that could be malicious local exploits
A system is affected if it runs macOS Sonoma 14.0-14.7 or Sequoia 15.0-15.6 and has untrusted third-party applications installed or able to execute with elevated permissions.
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
Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, or Tahoe 26) to affected systems. Ensure users do not run untrusted third-party applications that could exploit this access bypass.
macOS Sonoma 14.8 or macOS Sequoia 15.7 (depending on current major version)
- Identify current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
- For macOS 14.x (Sonoma) users: Update to macOS Sonoma 14.8 via System Settings > General > Software Update
- For macOS 15.x (Sequoia) users: Update to macOS Sequoia 15.7 via System Settings > General > Software Update
- Ensure the security update is installed (check System Settings > General > Software Update for available updates)
- Restart the system after the update completes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43305 — 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-2025-43305 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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