CVE-2025-43316: Apple macOS Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-43316 Overview

CVE-2025-43316 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Apple macOS and visionOS. Apple describes the issue as a permissions weakness that could allow a malicious app to gain root privileges. The flaw is categorized under [CWE-862] (Missing Authorization) and requires local access with low privileges to exploit. Apple addressed the issue by adding additional permission restrictions in macOS Tahoe 26 and visionOS 26.

Critical Impact
A malicious application running with low privileges on an affected device can escalate to root, giving attackers full control over the operating system and access to protected data.

Affected Products

Apple macOS (versions prior to macOS Tahoe 26)
Apple visionOS (versions prior to visionOS 26)
Systems running unpatched Apple operating systems where third-party apps can execute

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-15 - CVE-2025-43316 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43316

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-43316 is a missing authorization flaw [CWE-862] in Apple macOS and visionOS. A component within the operating system fails to enforce sufficient permission checks before performing a privileged operation. A local application with limited privileges can leverage that gap to elevate to root. Apple's advisory states the fix adds additional restrictions on the affected permission path.

Apple has not published detailed exploitation mechanics in the referenced support articles. The scope changes remain within the affected process, but successful exploitation results in complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the local device.

Root Cause

The root cause is an insufficient permission check in a system-level component shipped with macOS and visionOS. The affected code path allowed an unprivileged actor to invoke functionality that should be gated behind stricter authorization. Apple's remediation introduces additional restrictions, which indicates the original design permitted broader access than intended.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local code execution on the target device. An attacker first delivers or convinces a user to run a malicious application. The application then interacts with the vulnerable component and abuses the missing authorization check to run code with root privileges. No user interaction beyond running the initial malicious app is required, and no network access is needed.

Apple has not released public exploitation code, and CVE-2025-43316 is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Technical details are limited to Apple's advisories and the Full Disclosure Security Post #53 and Full Disclosure Security Post #58 messages.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43316

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected processes spawned with uid=0 (root) from parent processes running as standard users
Newly installed or unsigned applications that trigger privileged system calls shortly after launch
Modifications to protected system directories such as /System, /Library/LaunchDaemons, or /private/etc originating from user-installed apps

Detection Strategies

Monitor macOS Endpoint Security events (ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_EXEC, ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_SETUID) for privilege transitions initiated by non-system binaries
Correlate sudo, authd, and SecurityAgent log entries with process ancestry to identify unauthorized privilege changes
Baseline normal privileged operations per host and alert on deviations tied to newly launched applications

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest Unified Log data from macOS endpoints into a central SIEM for retention and correlation
Track installation and first-execution telemetry for third-party applications, especially those from outside the Mac App Store
Alert on persistence artifacts written to LaunchDaemons, LaunchAgents, or cron after any suspicious privilege event

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43316

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade affected devices to macOS Tahoe 26 or visionOS 26 as documented in the Apple Support Article #125115
Inventory macOS and visionOS assets to identify systems still running vulnerable builds
Restrict installation of untrusted applications and enforce Gatekeeper and notarization policies

Patch Information

Apple fixed CVE-2025-43316 in macOS Tahoe 26 and visionOS 26 by adding additional restrictions to the affected permission check. Refer to the Apple Support Article #125110 and Apple Support Article #125115 for the complete list of addressed CVEs and update instructions. Apply the updates through Software Update or Mobile Device Management (MDM) tooling.

Workarounds

Apple has not published an official workaround; upgrading is the supported remediation
Limit local user privileges and prevent standard users from installing arbitrary applications where possible
Use MDM configuration profiles to enforce Gatekeeper, System Integrity Protection (SIP), and application allow-listing until patches are deployed

bash

# Verify macOS build after patching
sw_vers
# Expected: ProductVersion includes macOS Tahoe 26 or later

# Confirm System Integrity Protection is enabled
csrutil status
# Expected: System Integrity Protection status: enabled.