CVE-2025-43289: Apple macOS Information Disclosure Issue

CVE-2025-43289 Overview

CVE-2025-43289 is a logic flaw in Apple macOS that allows a malicious application to access sensitive user data. Apple addressed the issue with improved validation in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, and macOS Tahoe 26. The weakness is classified under [CWE-285] (Improper Authorization), indicating that authorization checks did not correctly enforce access boundaries to protected resources.

The vulnerability requires local access and low privileges, with no user interaction needed for exploitation. Successful exploitation results in confidentiality impact without affecting integrity or availability of the host.

Critical Impact

A locally installed malicious application can bypass authorization checks on macOS and read sensitive user data without triggering user prompts.

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

• 2026-05-26 - CVE-2025-43289 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-05-27 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43289

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-43289 stems from an authorization logic flaw within macOS. Apple's advisory states the issue was resolved through improved validation, which indicates that a code path failed to correctly verify whether the requesting process held the necessary entitlements or permissions to access protected user data.

The CWE-285 classification (Improper Authorization) confirms that the affected component performed an action without properly verifying the actor's authorization to perform that action. Logic flaws of this class typically arise when validation occurs against attacker-controllable inputs or when checks are skipped in specific code paths.

Apple does not disclose precise component-level details for this vulnerability beyond the high-level summary. The fix is delivered through standard macOS security updates referenced in Apple Support articles 125110, 125111, and 125112.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper authorization within a macOS subsystem that mediates access to sensitive user data. The original logic permitted requests from contexts that should have been rejected, enabling an application running under a local user account to obtain data outside its expected scope.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local code execution on the target system, typically through a malicious application that the user has installed or executed. The attacker needs low privileges only, with no elevated rights, and the attack proceeds without user interaction once the malicious app runs. The scope remains unchanged, meaning the impact is contained within the security authority that owns the vulnerable component.

No public proof-of-concept code, exploit module, or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the Apple Support Article 125110 for vendor technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43289

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected processes accessing user data directories such as ~/Library, ~/Documents, or TCC-protected locations without corresponding user consent prompts.
• Installation of unsigned or ad-hoc signed applications from outside the Mac App Store followed by anomalous file read activity.
• Newly launched binaries that issue requests to system services responsible for user data brokering shortly after first execution.

Detection Strategies

• Monitor endpoint telemetry for processes that read sensitive user data without an associated user-initiated UI event.
• Correlate application install events with subsequent access to privacy-protected resources to surface suspicious post-install behavior.
• Compare installed macOS build versions against the patched releases (15.7, 14.8, 26) to identify exposed hosts in the fleet.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Ingest macOS Unified Logs and Endpoint Security framework events into a central SIEM for behavioral analysis.
• Track macOS software inventory continuously and alert on hosts running pre-patch builds of Sequoia, Sonoma, or Tahoe.
• Baseline normal application access patterns to user data and alert on deviations involving newly installed or rarely used binaries.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43289

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the Apple security updates for macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, or macOS Tahoe 26 across all managed endpoints.
• Audit installed third-party applications and remove any that are unsigned, untrusted, or no longer required.
• Restrict installation of applications to the Mac App Store and identified developers using Gatekeeper policy.

Patch Information

Apple has released fixes through the following advisories: Apple Support Article 125110, Apple Support Article 125111, and Apple Support Article 125112. Administrators should deploy these updates through MDM solutions or softwareupdate on individual hosts.

Workarounds

• No vendor-supplied workaround exists; patching is the only complete remediation.
• Limit local user privileges and remove administrative rights from standard user accounts where feasible.
• Enforce application allowlisting to block execution of untrusted binaries on managed Macs.

# Check current macOS version and apply available updates
sw_vers -productVersion
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart