CVE-2025-43252
📋 TL;DR
This macOS vulnerability allows malicious websites to access sensitive user data by exploiting symlink resolution. It affects macOS users who visit compromised websites. Apple addressed this by adding additional user consent prompts in macOS Sequoia 15.6.
💻 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
Attackers could access sensitive files including passwords, documents, and system files through symlink traversal when users visit malicious websites.
Likely Case
Targeted attacks where users visit specially crafted websites that exploit symlink resolution to access user data in predictable locations.
If Mitigated
With proper patching and user awareness, impact is minimal as the fix adds consent prompts and restricts unauthorized access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user to visit malicious website but no authentication needed. Complexity is medium due to need for specific symlink manipulation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Sequoia 15.6
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/124149
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings 2. Click General 3. Click Software Update 4. Install macOS Sequoia 15.6 update 5. Restart when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable automatic symlink resolution
allConfigure browser settings to prevent automatic symlink resolution
Use browser extensions to block suspicious websites
allInstall security extensions that block known malicious domains
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Avoid visiting untrusted websites and use browser sandboxing features
- Implement network filtering to block known malicious domains and use web proxies with content inspection
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version in System Settings > General > About. If version is earlier than Sequoia 15.6, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version shows Sequoia 15.6 or later in System Settings > General > About.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file access patterns from browser processes
- Multiple symlink resolution attempts in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Connections to suspicious domains followed by unusual file system access
SIEM Query:
source="macos_system_logs" AND (process="Safari" OR process="Chrome" OR process="Firefox") AND event="file_access" AND path CONTAINS "symlink"