CVE-2025-43353
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 addressed with improved bounds checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, macOS Tahoe 26. Processing a maliciously crafted string may lead to heap corruption.
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 confidenceHeap corruption vulnerability in macOS string processing where a maliciously crafted string can trigger improper memory access. The fix implemented improved bounds checks, indicating the vulnerability was likely an out-of-bounds write or buffer overflow during string handling.
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
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 your macOS versionClick the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number is displayed under the macOS name (e.g., 'macOS Sonoma 14.6' or 'macOS Sequoia 15.5'). Alternatively, run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal.Affected if The version is 14.0 through 14.7.x (Sonoma) or 15.0 through 15.6.x (Sequoia)
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Confirm the specific build if neededIn About This Mac, click the version number to reveal the build number (e.g., '23F79'). Or run 'uname -r' in Terminal for the kernel release, though build number from About This Mac is more precise for patch tracking.Affected if The build number corresponds to an unpatched version within the affected ranges
You are affected if your macOS version is 14.0 through 14.7.x or 15.0 through 15.6.x; you are NOT affected if you are on 14.8+, 15.7+, or older than 14.0.
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 relevant macOS security update (Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, or Tahoe 26) to remediate. Ensure systems are patched and consider restricting processing of untrusted string data until update is applied.
macOS Sonoma 14.8 or later; macOS Sequoia 15.7 or later
- Back up all important data on the Mac before starting the upgrade
- Ensure the Mac is connected to power (not running on battery)
- Go to System Settings (System Preferences)
- Click on General in the sidebar
- Click Software Update
- Allow macOS to check for updates - if macOS 14.8 or 15.7 is available, click Update Now to download and install it
- Alternatively, download the combo updater from https://support.apple.com/downloads and run it
- Restart the Mac when prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43353 — 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-2025-43353 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