CVE-2025-43334 Overview
CVE-2025-43334 is a medium-severity access control vulnerability [CWE-284] affecting multiple versions of Apple macOS. The flaw allows a locally installed application to bypass entitlement enforcement and access user-sensitive data. Apple addressed the issue by introducing additional entitlement checks in macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, and macOS Tahoe 26.1.
The vulnerability requires local access and user interaction, limiting remote exploitation potential. However, successful exploitation exposes confidential user data to unauthorized applications. No public exploit code or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported.
Critical Impact
An attacker-controlled app running on a vulnerable macOS system can read user-sensitive data that should be protected by entitlement restrictions.
Affected Products
- Apple macOS Sequoia prior to 15.7.2
- Apple macOS Sonoma prior to 14.8.2
- Apple macOS Tahoe prior to 26.1
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-11-04 - CVE-2025-43334 published to NVD
- 2026-10-18 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-43334
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in an unspecified macOS component where entitlement verification was insufficient to prevent sandboxed or standard applications from reading user-sensitive data. Apple's advisory indicates the fix adds additional entitlement checks, suggesting the original implementation trusted callers that should not have been granted access.
macOS uses entitlements as code signatures that grant specific capabilities to processes. When entitlement checks are missing or incomplete, applications can perform actions beyond their intended privilege scope. In this case, the gap enabled access to protected user data such as files, keychain contents, or privacy-protected resources governed by Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC).
The attack requires an attacker to deliver and execute a malicious application on the target system. User interaction is required, consistent with scenarios where a user installs or launches a trojanized application.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper access control [CWE-284]. The affected macOS component did not fully validate the entitlements of calling processes before granting access to protected resources. Apple's remediation adds supplementary entitlement verification to enforce the intended access policy.
Attack Vector
Exploitation is local and requires user interaction. An attacker must first deliver a malicious application to the target macOS host through social engineering, supply chain compromise, or bundled installers. Once executed by the user, the application invokes the vulnerable interface and retrieves user-sensitive data without triggering the privacy prompts or entitlement rejections that would normally block access.
Apple did not publish technical details of the exploitation path. Refer to the Apple Support Document #125634, Apple Support Document #125635, and Apple Support Document #125636 for vendor-provided information.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43334
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected applications accessing files in user home directories, ~/Library/, or TCC-protected locations without a corresponding user prompt.
- Newly installed or unsigned applications executing shortly before anomalous access to Contacts, Calendar, Photos, or keychain-related resources.
- Processes making entitlement-gated system calls that do not match their declared capabilities.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor Endpoint Security framework (ESF) events for ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_OPEN and ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_ACCESS activity against sensitive user directories by non-system binaries.
- Correlate application code signatures and declared entitlements with observed resource access patterns to detect privilege mismatches.
- Review Unified Logging System entries for TCC decisions and sandbox denials that reveal unexpected access attempts.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Track macOS build versions across the fleet and flag endpoints running versions below 15.7.2, 14.8.2, or 26.1.
- Alert on execution of newly introduced applications that subsequently access user data or privacy-protected resources.
- Baseline normal entitlement usage for approved applications and investigate deviations.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43334
Immediate Actions Required
- Deploy macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, or macOS Tahoe 26.1 across all affected endpoints.
- Audit installed third-party applications and remove untrusted or unsigned binaries.
- Enforce Gatekeeper and notarization policies to block execution of unverified applications.
Patch Information
Apple released fixed versions on the publication date of the advisory. Install macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, or macOS Tahoe 26.1. See Apple Support Document #125635 and Apple Support Document #125636 for the full list of CVEs addressed in these releases.
Workarounds
- No vendor-supplied workarounds exist. Apply the official macOS updates.
- Restrict installation of applications to those distributed through the Mac App Store or notarized developers.
- Apply mobile device management (MDM) policies that limit which applications can run on managed macOS systems.
# Verify macOS version on an endpoint
sw_vers -productVersion
# Trigger software update check
sudo softwareupdate --list
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
