macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43508

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction. 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 · moderate confidence

This is a logging vulnerability in macOS where sensitive user data could be exposed through logs due to improper data redaction. An application may be able to access this sensitive user data that was being logged without proper sanitization. The fix in macOS Tahoe 26.1 implements improved data redaction in logging mechanisms.

MitigationApply the macOS Tahoe 26.1 security update to address the logging data redaction issue. Organizations should review application logs for potential sensitive data exposure prior to patching.

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:= 26.0

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 macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or check System Settings > General > About
    Affected if Version displayed is exactly 26.0 (macOS Tahoe 26.0)
  2. Confirm macOS is not updated
    Compare your version against 26.1 - if the build number is lower than the 26.1 security update, the fix is not applied
    Affected if System shows version 26.0 or build number predating the 26.1 security update
  3. Assess log access by applications
    Check if any third-party or built-in applications on the system have permissions to read system logs via the log command, Console app, or log archive files
    Affected if Applications with log read access exist on macOS 26.0

Environment is affected if running macOS Tahoe version 26.0 with applications that can access system logs, as the improper data redaction in that version may have exposed sensitive user data in logs.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the macOS Tahoe 26.1 security update to address the logging data redaction issue. Organizations should review application logs for potential sensitive data exposure prior to patching.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Tahoe 26.1

  1. Upgrade macOS 26.0 to macOS Tahoe 26.1 by installing the latest system update from System Settings > General > Software Update
Caveat Ensure compatibility with existing workflows before deploying in production environments

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2025-43508 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