CVE-2025-43207: Apple macOS Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2025-43207 Overview

CVE-2025-43207 is an improper access control vulnerability [CWE-284] affecting Apple macOS. The flaw allows a local application to access user-sensitive data due to insufficient entitlement checks. Apple addressed the issue in macOS Tahoe 26 through improved entitlement enforcement.

Exploitation requires local access and user interaction, limiting remote attack scenarios. However, malicious applications running on affected systems could read data they should not be authorized to access. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality but does not affect integrity or availability of the host system.

Critical Impact
A locally installed application can bypass entitlement restrictions to read user-sensitive data on unpatched macOS systems.

Affected Products

Apple macOS versions prior to macOS Tahoe 26
Systems where third-party applications execute without strict entitlement validation
macOS endpoints running unpatched builds referenced in Apple advisory HT125110

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-15 - CVE-2025-43207 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2025-09-15 - Apple published security advisory and released macOS Tahoe 26
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43207

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from insufficient entitlement validation within a macOS component. Entitlements in macOS are cryptographically signed key-value pairs that grant applications specific privileges, such as access to protected user data, hardware, or system services. When these checks are incomplete or misconfigured, an application can obtain access to resources beyond its declared privilege scope.

Apple's advisory states the issue was addressed with improved entitlements, indicating the fix tightens the entitlement policy or adds missing checks. The result of successful exploitation is unauthorized read access to user-sensitive data, which may include documents, credentials, or files protected by macOS Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC).

Root Cause

The root cause is improper access control [CWE-284] tied to weak or missing entitlement enforcement. A component trusted with sensitive data did not sufficiently verify the entitlements of a calling process. This allowed unprivileged applications to reach data pathways reserved for authorized clients.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local execution on the target machine and user interaction, such as launching a malicious application. The attack does not require elevated privileges. Once running, the application invokes the vulnerable interface and receives access to protected user data without triggering a TCC prompt or additional authorization dialog.

No public proof-of-concept code is available. For technical specifics, refer to the Apple Support Document and the Full Disclosure Mailing List Post.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43207

Indicators of Compromise

Unsigned or ad-hoc signed applications making calls to system services associated with protected user data
Unexpected file reads from user directories such as ~/Documents, ~/Library/Application Support, or ~/Library/Messages by non-privileged processes
Processes accessing TCC-protected resources without corresponding user consent events in TCC.db

Detection Strategies

Monitor Endpoint Security Framework (ESF) events for ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_OPEN and ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_MMAP on sensitive user paths originating from unexpected processes
Correlate application code signature identifiers with observed entitlement usage to identify anomalies
Baseline application-to-resource access patterns and alert on deviations, particularly newly installed or recently modified binaries

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest macOS Unified Log data covering com.apple.tcc and com.apple.securityd subsystems
Track process execution telemetry with parent-child relationships to identify suspicious launchers
Alert on applications executing from writable user locations such as /tmp or ~/Downloads that touch protected resources

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43207

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade affected endpoints to macOS Tahoe 26 or later as documented in the Apple advisory
Inventory macOS devices in the environment and prioritize patching for systems handling sensitive user data
Restrict installation of untrusted applications through mobile device management (MDM) policies and Gatekeeper enforcement

Patch Information

Apple resolved this issue in macOS Tahoe 26 by improving entitlement enforcement. Full patch details are available in the Apple Support Document. Administrators should deploy the update through Software Update, MDM, or Apple Business Manager as appropriate.

Workarounds

Limit local execution of unsigned or unnotarized applications using Gatekeeper and system policy configurations
Enforce least-privilege user accounts to reduce the sensitivity of data available to running applications
Apply application allowlisting through MDM to prevent unknown binaries from executing on managed macOS endpoints

bash

# Verify current macOS build and Gatekeeper status
sw_vers -productVersion
spctl --status

# Trigger software update check
sudo softwareupdate --list
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart