CVE-2025-43321
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 · uneditedThe issue was resolved by blocking unsigned services from launching on Intel Macs. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, macOS Tahoe 26. 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 · moderate confidenceOn Intel Macs, unsigned services could launch and bypass security restrictions, allowing a malicious app to access protected user data. The vulnerability was in the service launch mechanism that did not properly validate code signing on Intel Mac hardware.
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.
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Identify Mac hardware architectureRun 'sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string' or check System Settings > About > Processor to determine if the Mac uses an Intel CPU (Intel) versus Apple Silicon (Apple chip)Affected if The Mac has an Intel processor; this vulnerability only affects Intel-based Macs, not Apple Silicon Macs
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Check installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' or go to System Settings > About > macOS VersionAffected if The version is 14.0 through 14.7.x (Sonoma) or 15.0 through 15.6.x (Sequoia); versions below 14.0 or at/above 14.8 (Sonoma) or 15.7 (Sequoia) are not affected
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Verify code signing enforcement on servicesRun 'spctl --status' to check if Gatekeeper is enabled, then inspect launched services via 'launchctl list' for any unsigned or unidentified service entriesAffected if Unsigned services are present and can be launched, indicating the bypass condition exists; Gatekeeper should block unsigned apps but the vulnerability allows services to bypass this
A user is affected if they are running macOS 14.0-14.7.x or 15.0-15.6.x on Intel Mac hardware, where the service launch mechanism can permit unsigned code execution despite security restrictions
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 affected Macs to macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, or later. For organizations with Intel Macs, ensure the security update is applied through standard patch management.
macOS Sonoma 14.8 or macOS Sequoia 15.7 (depending on your current major version)
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before starting the update
- Open System Settings on your Mac
- Click on General in the sidebar
- Select Software Update
- Wait for macOS to check for available updates
- If an update is available, click Update Now or Upgrade Now
- Follow the on-screen instructions and enter your password if prompted
- Allow the Mac to restart and complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43321 — 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-2025-43321 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