CVE-2025-43206 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS operating systems, specifically versions prior to macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.7. The vulnerability arises from a parsing issue in the handling of directory paths, categorized under CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory). This flaw allows an application to bypass intended path validation controls, potentially enabling it to access protected user data that should otherwise be inaccessible. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or privileges to exploit, but it does require local access (attack vector: local). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.0, reflecting a low complexity attack with no privileges required and no user interaction, but limited impact confined to confidentiality with no integrity or availability effects. The issue was addressed by Apple through improved path validation mechanisms in the specified macOS updates. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and the affected versions are unspecified but presumed to be all versions prior to the patched releases. This vulnerability could be leveraged by a malicious local application or attacker with local access to read sensitive user data by exploiting improper directory path parsing and traversal protections.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-43206 primarily concerns confidentiality breaches of protected user data on macOS devices. Organizations with employees using vulnerable macOS versions could face unauthorized data disclosure risks if a malicious local application or insider threat exploits this vulnerability. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or system availability, unauthorized access to sensitive user data could lead to privacy violations, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR), and potential reputational damage. Sectors handling sensitive personal or corporate data—such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government—are particularly at risk. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation, but insider threats or malware delivered through social engineering or physical access could exploit this flaw. Given the widespread use of macOS in certain European markets and enterprises, the vulnerability represents a tangible risk vector for data leakage if unpatched.

European organizations should prioritize updating all macOS devices to the patched versions: macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, or macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, as soon as possible. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict application control policies to limit the installation and execution of untrusted or unsigned applications that could exploit local vulnerabilities. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious local activity indicative of exploitation attempts. Implement least privilege principles to restrict user permissions and reduce the risk of local privilege escalation or unauthorized data access. Regularly audit and monitor macOS systems for unauthorized applications or anomalous file access patterns. Additionally, educate users about the risks of installing untrusted software and the importance of timely system updates. For high-security environments, consider using macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and full disk encryption to further protect sensitive data.