CVE-2025-43446
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 validation of symlinks. 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 modify protected parts of the file system.
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 confidenceA symlink validation vulnerability in macOS allows an application to modify protected parts of the file system by exploiting insufficient validation of symbolic links, effectively bypassing file system protection mechanisms.
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< 14.8.2>= 15.0, < 15.7.2CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Identify macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to get the exact version number (e.g., 14.7.1, 15.1, 15.7.2)Affected if Version is < 14.8.2 OR (version >= 15.0 AND version < 15.7.2)
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Confirm macOS release nameRun 'sw_vers -productVersionExtra' or check the major version number: 14.x = Sonoma, 15.x = SequoiaAffected if The release matches an affected version range from step 1
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Verify system is not patchedCheck Apple Security Updates page for your macOS release and confirm the CVE-2025-43446 fix is not listed in installed updatesAffected if The security update containing the fix has not been installed
The system is affected if it runs macOS Sonoma before 14.8.2 or macOS Sequoia between 15.0 and 15.7.1, and has not received the corresponding security update.
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 · scoped14.8.215.7.2
Apply the relevant macOS security update: macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, or macOS Tahoe 26.1.
macOS Sonoma 14.8.2 / macOS Sequoia 15.7.2 / macOS Tahoe 26.1 (depending on your hardware)
- Back up all important data before initiating the macOS upgrade
- Check your current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting 'About This Mac'
- If running macOS 14.x (Sonoma), upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.8.2 or later
- If running macOS 15.x (Sequoia), upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.7.2 or later
- If running an earlier version, upgrade to the appropriate fixed version for your hardware (Sonoma 14.8.2, Sequoia 15.7.2, or Tahoe 26.1)
- After upgrading, verify the system is running the patched version via 'About This Mac'
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43446 — 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-2025-43446 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
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