dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43340

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 26.0 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Tahoe 26. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.

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

This is a sandbox escape vulnerability in macOS where a malicious or compromised application can break out of its sandboxed environment due to insufficient permission restrictions. The vulnerability allows an app to potentially gain unauthorized access beyond its intended isolation boundaries.

MitigationUpgrade affected macOS systems to macOS Tahoe 26 or later to apply the vendor patch that implements additional permission restrictions.

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:< 26.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Overview
    Affected if The version shown is less than 26.0 (e.g., 25.x, 24.x, etc.)
  2. Confirm macOS build number
    Run 'sw_vers -buildVersion' in Terminal to get the exact build
    Affected if Build number corresponds to a pre-26.0 release
  3. Verify sandbox is enabled
    Check if any applications are running in sandboxed mode by reviewing system logs or using 'ps aux | grep -i sandbox'
    Affected if Sandboxed applications are present and the macOS version is below 26.0
  4. Review App Sandbox entitlements
    Inspect entitlements files in ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/ or within app bundles for 'com.apple.security.app-sandbox' key set to true
    Affected if Apps with sandbox entitlements exist on a system running macOS < 26.0

If macOS version is below 26.0 and sandboxed applications are in use, the environment is potentially affected by this sandbox escape vulnerability.

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 26.0 or later
Fixed in 26.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade affected macOS systems to macOS Tahoe 26 or later to apply the vendor patch that implements additional permission restrictions.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Tahoe 26.0

  1. 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before proceeding with the system update.
  2. 2. Connect your Mac to a stable power source and reliable internet connection.
  3. 3. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
  4. 4. Navigate to General > Software Update.
  5. 5. Wait for macOS Tahoe 26.0 to appear as an available update.
  6. 6. Click 'Update Now' or 'Download and Install' to begin the upgrade process.
  7. 7. Follow the on-screen instructions and allow the system to restart during the installation.
  8. 8. After the upgrade completes, verify the system is running macOS Tahoe 26.0 by checking System Settings > General > About.
Caveat Standard macOS upgrade considerations apply - ensure compatibility with existing applications and backup data before updating

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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-2025-43340 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