CVE-2025-43310 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/16/2025
A configuration issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, macOS Tahoe 26. An app may be able to trick a user into copying sensitive data to the pasteboard.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2025
This vulnerability represents a configuration flaw that enables malicious applications to deceive users into inadvertently transferring sensitive information to the system clipboard. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the operating system's pasteboard handling processes, allowing unauthorized applications to manipulate user interactions and potentially access confidential data. The vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions including Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, and Tahoe 26, indicating a widespread concern across the operating system's ecosystem. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a significant risk as clipboard data often contains passwords, personal identification numbers, financial information, and other sensitive credentials that users routinely copy and paste across applications. The flaw operates through user deception techniques that exploit trust relationships between applications and the operating system's user interface components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves exploiting the pasteboard subsystem's insufficient access controls and user interaction validation mechanisms. Applications can potentially manipulate the clipboard content by intercepting user actions or by presenting misleading interface elements that trick users into performing copy operations on sensitive data. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and CWE-352, which covers cross-site request forgery, as it involves unauthorized data access through user interaction manipulation. The attack vector typically involves social engineering combined with technical exploitation where malicious applications present seemingly legitimate user interfaces that prompt users to copy sensitive information while the application simultaneously captures or modifies that data in the clipboard. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of the ATT&CK technique T1552, which involves data manipulation and credential access through clipboard interactions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure to encompass potential credential theft, financial fraud, and privacy violations. When users copy sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or personal identification details, they create opportunities for attackers to intercept and misuse this data. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple macOS versions suggests that it represents a fundamental flaw in the system's security architecture rather than a temporary oversight. Organizations and individuals using affected macOS versions face increased risk of data breaches, especially in environments where sensitive information is frequently copied and pasted between applications. The vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in enterprise settings where users may copy confidential business data, authentication tokens, or system credentials that could be leveraged for further attacks. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of broader clipboard security assessments and implement monitoring for suspicious clipboard activity.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate system updates to the patched macOS versions, which contain additional restrictions and enhanced validation mechanisms. Users should avoid copying sensitive information from untrusted applications and should regularly review their clipboard contents for unauthorized modifications. System administrators should implement clipboard monitoring solutions and establish security policies that restrict clipboard access for sensitive applications. The vulnerability highlights the importance of user education and awareness programs that emphasize the risks associated with clipboard operations and the need for vigilance when copying data between applications. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as clipboard encryption, access logging, and privileged access management solutions to protect against clipboard-based attacks. Regular security assessments should include evaluation of clipboard handling mechanisms and user interaction validation processes to identify similar vulnerabilities. The fix implemented in the updated macOS versions addresses the root cause by introducing stricter validation of clipboard operations and enhanced user interaction monitoring to prevent unauthorized data manipulation.