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macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43382

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
A parsing issue in the handling of directory paths was addressed with improved path validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1. An app may be able to access sensitive 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 · high confidence

This is a path traversal vulnerability in macOS directory path parsing. The insufficient validation of directory paths could allow a malicious or compromised application to escape its intended sandbox and access sensitive user data outside its authorized scope. Apple addressed this with improved path validation in the specified macOS versions.

MitigationApply the macOS security updates (Sequoia 15.7.2, Sonoma 14.8.2, or Tahoe 26.1) to remediate the path validation vulnerability. Organizations should prioritize patching systems that run third-party applications with broad file system access.

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:>= 14.0, < 14.8.2>= 15.0, < 15.7.2

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. Identify the installed macOS version
    Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner, select 'About This Mac', and note the macOS version number displayed (e.g., 14.7.1, 15.6.1)
    Affected if The version shown is 14.0 to 14.8.1 OR 15.0 to 15.7.1 (any version in the vulnerable ranges)
  2. Confirm the macOS release name
    In 'About This Mac', identify whether the system is running Sonoma (14.x) or Sequoia (15.x)
    Affected if The system is Sonoma between 14.0 and 14.8.1, or Sequoia between 15.0 and 15.7.1
  3. Verify build number for precise version (optional)
    In 'About This Mac', click 'More Info' and note the 'Build Version' (e.g., 23G93 for Sonoma, 24A348 for Sequoia)
    Affected if The build number falls within the vulnerable build range for the installed macOS major version

If the installed macOS version is 14.8.2 or higher, or 15.7.2 or higher, the system is patched and not vulnerable to this path traversal issue.

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 or later
Fixed in 14.8.215.7.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the macOS security updates (Sequoia 15.7.2, Sonoma 14.8.2, or Tahoe 26.1) to remediate the path validation vulnerability. Organizations should prioritize patching systems that run third-party applications with broad file system access.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.8.2 or macOS Sequoia 15.7.2 depending on your current major version

  1. Check your current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting 'About This Mac'
  2. Determine which macOS version family you are on (Sonoma 14.x or Sequoia 15.x)
  3. Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup solution before proceeding with the update
  4. Open System Settings and navigate to General > Software Update
  5. Click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to install the available update
  6. For macOS 14.x (Sonoma): Update to macOS Sonoma 14.8.2
  7. For macOS 15.x (Sequoia): Update to macOS Sequoia 15.7.2
  8. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
Caveat Standard Apple minor version updates typically do not introduce breaking changes; however, always back up 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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2025-43382 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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