CVE-2025-43190 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS and related operating systems, including macOS Sonoma 14.8, macOS Sequoia 15.7, visionOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, iOS 26, and iPadOS 26. The vulnerability arises from a parsing issue in the handling of directory paths, specifically related to insufficient path validation. This flaw could allow a malicious application to bypass intended access controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive user data. The root cause is classified under CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), indicating a directory traversal or path traversal weakness. Exploitation requires local access (attack vector: AV:L), no privileges (PR:N), and user interaction (UI:R), meaning the user must run or interact with the malicious app. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (C:H) but does not affect integrity or availability. Apple addressed this issue by improving path validation in the affected OS versions. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and no specific patch links were provided, though updates to the mentioned OS versions contain the fix. The vulnerability could be leveraged by attackers to access sensitive files or data that should be restricted, potentially leading to privacy breaches or leakage of confidential information stored on the device.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to employees and systems using Apple devices running vulnerable OS versions. Sensitive corporate or personal data stored on these devices could be exposed if a malicious app exploits this flaw. This is particularly concerning for sectors handling personal data under GDPR, such as finance, healthcare, and legal services, where unauthorized data access could lead to regulatory penalties and reputational damage. The requirement for user interaction and local access somewhat limits remote exploitation, but targeted attacks via social engineering or malicious app distribution remain plausible. Organizations relying heavily on Apple ecosystems for mobile and desktop computing should be aware that this vulnerability could be used to circumvent data access controls, potentially undermining endpoint security and data confidentiality. Given the medium severity and the focus on confidentiality compromise, the impact is significant but not critical, especially if mitigations and updates are promptly applied.

European organizations should prioritize updating all Apple devices to the fixed OS versions listed (macOS Sonoma 14.8, macOS Sequoia 15.7, visionOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, iOS 26, and iPadOS 26) as soon as updates become available. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict application vetting policies, limiting installation of apps to those from trusted sources such as the Apple App Store with proper code signing. Employ Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to control app installations and monitor device compliance. User awareness training should emphasize the risks of installing untrusted applications and the importance of cautious interaction with app prompts. Additionally, implementing endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of detecting anomalous file access patterns could help identify exploitation attempts. Regular audits of device configurations and access permissions can further reduce exposure. Finally, organizations should maintain robust data encryption on devices to mitigate data exposure risks even if unauthorized access occurs.