CVE-2025-43306
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 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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in macOS where a logic flaw allowed a malicious application to bypass existing privilege checks and gain root-level access. The issue was addressed with improved validation checks in the affected macOS versions.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to obtain the installed macOS version numberAffected if Version is 14.0 through 14.7.x (Sonoma) or 15.0 through 15.6.x (Sequoia)
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Confirm build versionRun 'sw_vers -buildVersion' to obtain the specific build number for additional verificationAffected if Build number corresponds to an unpatched release within the affected version ranges
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Verify patch status via System SettingsOpen System Settings > General > Software Update to check if the latest security updates are installedAffected if No updates are available or the installed version remains below 14.8 (Sonoma) or 15.7 (Sequoia)
The system is affected if the installed macOS version is 14.0-14.7.x or 15.0-15.6.x and no security update to 14.8 or 15.7 (or later) has 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
Apply the Apple security updates (macOS Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, or Tahoe 26) to affected systems. Ensure systems are patched within the organization's vulnerability remediation timeline for high-severity issues.
macOS Sonoma 14.8 (for systems on 14.x) or macOS Sequoia 15.7 (for systems on 15.x)
- Check the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
- Back up important data before performing any system update
- Open System Settings and navigate to General > Software Update
- Install any available updates to reach macOS Sonoma 14.8 or macOS Sequoia 15.7
- If Software Update does not offer the required version, download the appropriate Combo Update from Apple Support downloads and install it
- Restart the system after the update completes
- Verify the installed version by checking About This Mac to confirm macOS 14.8 or 15.7 is showing
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43306 — 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-2025-43306 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