CVE-2025-43285: Apple macOS Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2025-43285 Overview

CVE-2025-43285 is a permissions vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows a local application to access protected user data. Apple addressed the flaw by applying additional restrictions in the affected component. The issue affects multiple macOS releases including Sequoia, Sonoma, and Tahoe.

The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-284] Improper Access Control. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction, limiting remote attack scenarios. However, a malicious application installed on a target system can leverage the flaw to read data normally protected by macOS privacy controls.

Critical Impact
A malicious application running locally on macOS can bypass permission checks to access protected user data such as files, preferences, or other sensitive resources shielded by Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC).

Affected Products

Apple macOS Sequoia (versions prior to 15.7)
Apple macOS Sonoma (versions prior to 14.8)
Apple macOS Tahoe (versions prior to 26)

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-15 - CVE-2025-43285 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43285

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-43285 is an improper access control flaw affecting macOS. Apple's advisory describes it as "a permissions issue" that has been "addressed with additional restrictions." The weakness allowed an application to reach data guarded by macOS privacy and permission mechanisms.

On macOS, protected user data includes items governed by TCC such as contacts, calendars, photos, location data, and files in protected directories. Applications must normally hold explicit entitlements or user consent to reach these resources. This vulnerability weakened those controls for a specific code path.

Exploitation is local and requires user interaction, per Apple's advisory metadata. A user typically must launch or install the offending application. Once running, the application can access data that would otherwise require additional consent or entitlement. The impact is limited to confidentiality; integrity and availability are not affected.

Root Cause

The root cause is an incomplete permission check within a macOS component. Apple's remediation added further restrictions to close the gap, indicating that the original logic accepted a call context or resource path that should have been denied. The specific component was not identified in the public advisory.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An attacker delivers or convinces a user to run a crafted application on macOS. The application then invokes the vulnerable path to obtain data outside its granted permissions. See Apple's advisories for the affected macOS releases: macOS Sequoia 15.7 and macOS Sonoma 14.8.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available at this time. See the Full Disclosure Security Report for related research references.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43285

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected reads of files under user Library directories such as ~/Library/Application Support, ~/Library/Preferences, or ~/Library/Containers by non-entitled applications.
Applications accessing TCC-protected resources without a corresponding user consent prompt or entry in the TCC database.
Newly installed or recently launched third-party binaries with elevated file-access behavior shortly after execution.

Detection Strategies

Baseline application behavior on macOS endpoints and alert on processes that read protected user directories without a matching entitlement grant.
Correlate process launches with subsequent access to sensitive paths, focusing on unsigned or ad-hoc signed binaries.
Review Endpoint Security framework (ES) events for ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_OPEN and ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_READDIR calls against protected locations by unexpected processes.

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest macOS Unified Logs and Endpoint Security telemetry into a centralized analytics platform to hunt for anomalous file access patterns.
Track macOS version inventory to identify endpoints still running builds earlier than 15.7, 14.8, or 26.
Alert on applications that persist across reboots and immediately touch TCC-protected paths on first launch.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43285

Immediate Actions Required

Update all macOS endpoints to macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, or macOS Tahoe 26 as applicable to the installed release train.
Restrict installation of unsigned or unnotarized applications through Gatekeeper and management policy.
Audit installed third-party applications and remove any that are unnecessary or from untrusted sources.

Patch Information

Apple released fixes in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, and macOS Tahoe 26. Consult the vendor advisories for full details: Apple Support Document #125110, Apple Support Document #125111, and Apple Support Document #125112. Deploy the updates through Apple's software update mechanism or a supported mobile device management (MDM) solution.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workaround exists; apply the security update.
Enforce least privilege by limiting standard users' ability to install applications outside approved channels.
Review and tighten TCC permissions granted to installed applications, revoking access that is not required.

bash

# Verify installed macOS version meets the patched baseline
sw_vers -productVersion

# Trigger an update check via the command line
sudo softwareupdate --list
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart