CVE-2025-43538
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 · uneditedA logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.3 and iPadOS 18.7.3, iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.3, macOS Tahoe 26.2, visionOS 26.2, watchOS 26.2. 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 confidenceThis is a logging vulnerability where insufficient data redaction in system logs allowed applications to potentially access sensitive user data. The issue stems from improper handling of sensitive information in log outputs.
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< 14.8.3CVSS 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 versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version is below 14.8.3 (e.g., 14.8.2, 14.8.1, 14.8, 14.7.x, or earlier)
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Verify system logging is activeCheck if system logs exist by running: ls -la /var/log/system.log* or log show --predicate 'true' --last 1m | head -20Affected if System logging is enabled and logs are being written, making the insufficient redaction flaw applicable
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Check for sensitive data in recent logsRun: log show --predicate 'true' --last 1h | grep -i -E '(password|token|secret|key|credential|sensitive)' to inspect if any sensitive-looking data appears unredacted in recent log entriesAffected if Sensitive data fields appear in plaintext within log outputs, confirming the redaction vulnerability is present and exploitable
A system is affected if it runs macOS version below 14.8.3 and has active system logging, with unredacted sensitive data visible in log outputs.
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 · scoped14.8.3
Apply the vendor-provided updates: iOS 18.7.3/iPadOS 18.7.3 or iOS 26.2/iPadOS 26.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.3 or macOS Tahoe 26.2, visionOS 26.2, or watchOS 26.2 depending on the affected device.
macOS Sonoma 14.8.3 / macOS Tahoe 26.2 (or iOS 18.7.3 / iPadOS 18.7.3 / visionOS 26.2 / watchOS 26.2 depending on device)
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Navigate to General > Software Update
- Ensure automatic updates are enabled or click 'Update Now' to install available updates
- For macOS, upgrade to version 14.8.3 (Sonoma) or later, or 26.2 (Tahoe) if applicable
- For iOS devices, upgrade to iOS 18.7.3 or later
- For iPadOS devices, upgrade to iPadOS 18.7.3 or later
- For Apple Vision Pro, upgrade to visionOS 26.2 or later
- For Apple Watch, upgrade to watchOS 26.2 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43538 — 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-2025-43538 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