CVE-2025-43195 is a vulnerability in Apple macOS discovered in 2025 that arises from improper handling and validation of environment variables within the operating system. Environment variables are key-value pairs used by applications and the OS to configure runtime behavior. In this case, the vulnerability allows a malicious or compromised application to leverage insufficient validation of these variables to access sensitive user data that should otherwise be protected. The vulnerability does not require elevated privileges (PR:N) but does require user interaction (UI:R), such as running or installing a malicious app. The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning the attacker must have local access to the system. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (C:H) but does not affect integrity or availability. Apple addressed the issue by improving validation mechanisms in macOS Sequoia 15.6, Sonoma 14.7.7, and Ventura 13.7.7. No public exploits have been reported yet, indicating the threat is currently theoretical but could be exploited if an attacker gains local access and convinces a user to interact with a malicious app. The underlying weakness corresponds to CWE-20, which involves improper input validation, a common cause of security issues. This vulnerability highlights the risks associated with environment variable handling and the importance of strict validation to prevent unauthorized data access.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to confidentiality of sensitive user data on macOS devices. Organizations with employees using vulnerable macOS versions could see unauthorized data exposure if a malicious app is installed and executed. This is particularly concerning for sectors handling sensitive personal data, intellectual property, or confidential business information, such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government agencies. The requirement for local access and user interaction limits remote exploitation but insider threats or social engineering attacks could leverage this vulnerability. The impact is medium severity, as it does not affect system integrity or availability, but the potential data leakage could lead to privacy violations, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR), and reputational damage. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the need for timely patching and awareness. Organizations relying heavily on Apple hardware and software ecosystems are more exposed, and the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted attacks against high-value individuals or entities within Europe.

1. Immediately apply the latest macOS updates that include the fixes for CVE-2025-43195 (Sequoia 15.6, Sonoma 14.7.7, Ventura 13.7.7). 2. Enforce strict application control policies to prevent installation or execution of untrusted or unsigned apps, reducing the risk of malicious apps exploiting this vulnerability. 3. Educate users about the risks of running untrusted software and the importance of verifying app sources to mitigate social engineering attacks requiring user interaction. 4. Limit local access to macOS devices through physical security controls and endpoint protection solutions to reduce the attack surface. 5. Monitor environment variable usage and application behavior for anomalies that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6. Implement least privilege principles for user accounts to minimize the impact of compromised local accounts. 7. Regularly audit and inventory macOS devices within the organization to ensure timely patch deployment and compliance. 8. Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of detecting suspicious local activity related to environment variable manipulation.