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IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43379

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.8.2 / 15.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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
This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1. 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 confidence

A symlink validation vulnerability in Apple operating systems allowed an application to access protected user data through improperly validated symbolic links. The fix implements improved validation of symlinks to prevent path traversal attacks that could bypass sandboxing or access controls.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, or watchOS 26.1. Ensure automatic updates are enabled for end-user devices.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 14.8.2>= 15.0, < 15.7.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device and note the Version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device and note the Version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1
  3. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or go to System Settings > General > About and note the macOS version
    Affected if Version is 14.8.2 or lower, OR between 15.0 and 15.7.2 (inclusive)
  4. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on Apple TV and note the Version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1
  5. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About and note the watchOS version
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1
  6. Check visionOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on Vision Pro device and note the Version number
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1

The device is affected if it runs any of the listed Apple OS versions below the patched releases and has applications that can create or follow symbolic links to access protected user data directories.

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 14.8.2 / 15.7.2 / 26.1 or later
Fixed in 14.8.215.7.226.1
Interim mitigation

Update affected devices to iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, or watchOS 26.1. Ensure automatic updates are enabled for end-user devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update to reach iOS/iPadOS 26.1
  2. For macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update to reach macOS Sonoma 14.8.2 or macOS Sequoia 15.7.2 as applicable
  3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and update to tvOS 26.1
  4. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the paired iPhone or directly on Watch and update to watchOS 26.1
  5. For Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to visionOS 26.1
  6. After updating, verify the OS version in Settings matches the fixed release
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - ensure backups exist before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2025-43379 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