CVE-2025-43204
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows malicious applications to escape macOS sandbox restrictions, potentially accessing system resources or user data they shouldn't have access to. It affects macOS systems running versions before macOS Tahoe 26. The vulnerability stems from improper access control (CWE-284).
💻 Affected Systems
- macOS
📦 What is this software?
Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
A malicious app could gain full system access, install persistent malware, access sensitive user data, or compromise other applications.
Likely Case
Malicious apps could access restricted files, system resources, or user data beyond their intended permissions.
If Mitigated
With proper app vetting and security controls, risk is limited to untrusted applications bypassing sandbox protections.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires a malicious application to be installed and executed on the target system. No public exploit code is currently available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Tahoe 26
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125110
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings 2. Click General 3. Click Software Update 4. Install macOS Tahoe 26 update 5. Restart when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict App Installation
allOnly allow installation of apps from the App Store and identified developers
sudo spctl --master-enable
sudo spctl --enable --label "Mac App Store"
sudo spctl --enable --label "Developer ID"
Application Whitelisting
allUse MDM or security software to restrict which applications can run
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict application control policies to only allow trusted applications
- Monitor for unusual application behavior or sandbox escape attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version: if version is earlier than Tahoe 26, system is vulnerableCheck Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is Tahoe 26 or later📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual sandbox violation logs
- Applications accessing resources outside their sandbox
- Unexpected privilege escalation attempts
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from sandboxed applications
- Attempts to access network resources typically restricted to sandboxed apps
SIEM Query:
process where parent_process_name contains "sandbox" and (event_type="process_access" or event_type="file_access") and target_path not contains expected_sandbox_paths