CVE-2025-43369
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. This issue is fixed in 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 confidenceA symlink handling vulnerability in macOS Tahoe 26 allows a malicious application to access protected user data by exploiting improper validation of symbolic links, potentially bypassing security boundaries.
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< 26.0CVSS 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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Check installed macOS versionOpen Terminal and run 'sw_vers -productVersion' to get the exact macOS version numberAffected if The version is lower than 26.0 (e.g., 25.x, 24.x, etc.)
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Identify applications from untrusted sourcesCheck /Applications folder for apps not downloaded from Mac App Store or from unidentified developers. Run 'spctl --master-disable' temporarily if needed to check current gatekeeper status, then review any recently installed applicationsAffected if Applications from untrusted or unknown developers are installed on a macOS version below 26.0
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Detect suspicious symlinks in protected directoriesRun 'ls -la' on sensitive directories like ~/Library, ~/Documents, ~/Desktop, and check for symlinks pointing outside user's expected paths. Also check /tmp and /var/folders for recently created symlinksAffected if Unexpected symlinks exist in or from protected user directories
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Review system logs for symlink-related security eventsOpen Console app and search for 'symlink' or check system.log for securityd events related to file access violations. Run 'log show --predicate 'eventMessage contains "symlink"' --last 24hAffected if Logs show symlink-based access attempts to protected directories from untrusted applications
You are affected if running macOS version below 26.0 and have applications from untrusted sources that could create symlinks to bypass security boundaries.
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 · scoped26.0
Update to macOS Tahoe 26 or later. Until then, restrict application installations to trusted sources from the Mac App Store or identified developers, and monitor for suspicious symlink creation.
macOS Tahoe 26.0
- Check the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
- Back up all important data using Time Machine or another backup solution
- Open System Settings and navigate to General > Software Update
- If macOS Tahoe 26.0 is available, click Download and Install
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade to macOS Tahoe 26.0 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43369 — 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-2025-43369 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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- 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