CVE-2025-43465
📋 TL;DR
A path validation vulnerability in macOS allows applications to access sensitive user data through improper directory path parsing. This affects macOS systems before version 26.1. The vulnerability enables unauthorized data access by malicious or compromised applications.
💻 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
Malicious application could access sensitive user files including documents, credentials, or personal data stored in user directories.
Likely Case
Compromised legitimate applications could inadvertently access user data they shouldn't have permissions for.
If Mitigated
With proper application sandboxing and user permission controls, impact would be limited to data accessible by the application's normal permissions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires a malicious or compromised application to be installed and executed on the target system.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Tahoe 26.1
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125634
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings 2. Click General 3. Click Software Update 4. Install macOS Tahoe 26.1 update 5. Restart when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Application Sandboxing Enforcement
allEnsure all applications run with appropriate sandboxing and permissions
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict installation of untrusted applications through MDM or security policies
- Implement strict application allowlisting to prevent execution of potentially malicious apps
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version in System Settings > General > About. If version is earlier than 26.1, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version shows 26.1 or later in System Settings > General > About.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file access patterns by applications
- Applications accessing directories outside their normal scope
Network Indicators:
- No direct network indicators - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="macOS" event_type="file_access" process_name NOT IN (expected_apps) AND target_path CONTAINS "/Users/"