CVE-2025-43314

Vulnerability

Overview

CVE-2025-43314 is a parsing issue in macOS's handling of directory paths. The root cause is insufficient validation of path components, which could allow an app to resolve paths outside its intended sandbox or privacy boundaries. Apple addressed the flaw with improved path validation in the macOS Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, and Tahoe 26 updates [1][3][4].

Exploitation

Prerequisites

An attacker would need to execute a malicious app on the target system—no special privileges or network access are required beyond the ability to run code. The vulnerability can be triggered by crafting directory paths that bypass normal checks, potentially exploiting symlinks or other path traversal techniques.

Impact

Successful exploitation could allow an app to access sensitive user data, such as documents, contacts, or other private information protected by macOS privacy preferences. The official description states that an app may be able to access sensitive user data, and related advisories note that similar issues could bypass Privacy preferences [1].

Mitigation

Apple has released security updates for all affected macOS versions: macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, and macOS Tahoe 26. Users are strongly advised to install these updates immediately. No workarounds are available; updating is the only mitigation.