CVE-2025-46282
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a macOS and Safari vulnerability where insufficient permission checks could allow an application to access sensitive user data. The issue affects macOS Tahoe and Safari versions before 26.2. Users running vulnerable versions could have their private data exposed to malicious applications.
💻 Affected Systems
- macOS
- Safari
📦 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 →Safari by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Malicious application could access sensitive user data including personal files, credentials, or private information without user consent.
Likely Case
Malicious applications could access limited sensitive data from sandboxed areas or user-accessible directories.
If Mitigated
With proper application sandboxing and user permission controls, impact would be limited to non-critical data.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user to install/run a malicious application. No public exploit details available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Tahoe 26.2, Safari 26.2
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125886
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Settings > General > Software Update. 2. Install macOS Tahoe 26.2 update. 3. For Safari, update through App Store or System Settings. 4. Restart system after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Application Sandboxing Enforcement
allEnable strict application sandboxing to limit data access
sudo spctl --master-enable
sudo spctl --enable
Gatekeeper Settings
allConfigure Gatekeeper to only allow apps from App Store and identified developers
sudo spctl --status
sudo spctl --enable --label "Mac App Store"
sudo spctl --enable --label "Developer ID"
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized applications from running
- Enable full disk encryption and restrict user permissions to sensitive data directories
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version: sw_vers -productVersion. Check Safari version: Safari > About Safari. If versions are earlier than 26.2, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
macOS: sw_vers -productVersion. Safari: defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleShortVersionStringVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is 26.2 or later and Safari version is 26.2 or later using same commands.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual application access to protected directories in Unified Logs
- Console.app entries showing permission denials or unusual file access patterns
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="macos" AND (event="file_access" OR event="permission_denied") AND (path CONTAINS "/Users/" OR path CONTAINS "/Library/")