CVE-2025-43476 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 11/04/2025
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. 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 break out of its sandbox.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/18/2025
This vulnerability represents a sandbox escape condition that affects multiple macOS versions including Sequoia 15.7.2, Tahoe 26.1, and Sonoma 14.8.2. The issue stems from insufficient permission controls that allow applications to potentially bypass their designated sandbox boundaries. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a critical elevation of privilege vulnerability that undermines the fundamental security model of macOS application isolation. The sandbox mechanism serves as a crucial defense-in-depth control that restricts what applications can access on a user's system, including files, network connections, and system resources.
The technical flaw manifests as a permissions issue that enables malicious or vulnerable applications to break out of their restricted execution environment. This sandbox escape capability allows an application to access resources and perform actions that should be prohibited within its designated security context. The vulnerability specifically affects the underlying permission system that governs how applications interact with system resources, potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive data, system modifications, or communication with external networks. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses incorrect permissions for critical resources, and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege that should govern all application execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it compromises the core security architecture of macOS. Attackers could potentially exploit this issue to gain access to user files, system configurations, or sensitive data that should remain protected within the application sandbox. The vulnerability could enable persistent access to user systems, allowing for data exfiltration, system reconnaissance, or further exploitation through additional attack vectors. From an attacker's perspective, this represents a valuable privilege escalation vector that could be combined with other vulnerabilities to achieve complete system compromise. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this under privilege escalation techniques, specifically T1548.001 for abuse of system permissions.
The fix implemented in the updated macOS versions addresses the root cause by introducing additional permission restrictions and tightening the enforcement of sandbox boundaries. This remediation ensures that applications cannot bypass their designated security contexts through the identified permissions flaw. Organizations should immediately apply these updates to all affected systems, particularly in environments where multiple users may be running untrusted applications. Security teams should also monitor for any suspicious behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability could be actively targeted in the wild. The patch likely includes enhanced kernel-level checks that validate application permissions more rigorously and prevent unauthorized access to system resources.