CVE-2025-43373 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 11/04/2025
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/18/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical memory management flaw that affects multiple macOS versions including Sequoia 15.7.2, Tahoe 26.1, and Sonoma 14.8.2. The issue stems from inadequate memory handling mechanisms within the kernel that allow malicious applications to exploit memory corruption vulnerabilities. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a privilege escalation vector that could potentially enable attackers to gain unauthorized system access or cause system instability through deliberate memory manipulation attacks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. These classifications indicate that the flaw likely involves improper bounds checking during memory allocation or deallocation processes within the kernel space. Attackers could potentially craft malicious applications that manipulate memory pointers or buffer sizes to trigger unexpected behavior in the kernel's memory management subsystem. The vulnerability specifically allows for two primary attack vectors: system termination through deliberate memory corruption that causes kernel panics, and kernel memory corruption that could lead to more sophisticated exploitation techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system crashes, as it represents a potential pathway for persistent system compromise. When an application can cause unexpected system termination, it creates opportunities for denial-of-service attacks that could be used to disrupt critical services or applications running on macOS systems. More concerning is the potential for kernel memory corruption, which could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, effectively bypassing traditional security boundaries. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where macOS systems may be running critical infrastructure services or handling sensitive data.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to address this vulnerability, particularly in environments where untrusted applications might be executed. The recommended mitigation strategy involves deploying the latest macOS updates that contain the memory handling improvements. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual system termination events or kernel panics that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized applications from executing on critical systems. From an att&ck framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1059 for command and script interpreter execution and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, making it a significant concern for defenders implementing comprehensive threat detection strategies.