CVE-2025-43388
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 · uneditedAn injection issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in 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 · low confidenceAn injection vulnerability in macOS Tahoe 26.1 allowed a malicious or compromised application to potentially bypass validation checks and access sensitive user data. The fix involves improved input validation to prevent unauthorized data access through injection vectors.
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< 26.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -ProductVersion' in Terminal or click Apple menu > About This Mac to view the version numberAffected if Version is below 26.1 (e.g., 26.0, 25.x, 24.x, etc.)
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Verify application installation policyOpen System Settings > Privacy & Security > Security and check the 'Allow applications from' settingAffected if Setting allows apps from 'Anywhere' or unidentified developers (not restricted to Mac App Store or identified developers)
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Audit recently installed applicationsRun 'ls /Applications' in Terminal and compare against expected installed apps, or check ~/Applications folderAffected if Any untrusted, unsigned, or unfamiliar applications are present on the system
User is affected if macOS version is below 26.1 and an untrusted or unsigned application has been installed on the system.
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 · scoped26.1
Update to macOS Tahoe 26.1 or later. Until then, limit app installations to trusted sources from the Mac App Store or verified developers to reduce risk of exploitation.
macOS Tahoe 26.1
- 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before upgrading
- 2. Connect your Mac to power to ensure the update isn't interrupted
- 3. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
- 4. Click on General in the sidebar
- 5. Click Software Update
- 6. Wait for macOS Tahoe 26.1 to appear in the update list
- 7. Click Update Now or Download and Install
- 8. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43388 — 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-2025-43388 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