CVE-2025-43241 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 permissions issue that allows an application to read files outside of its designated sandbox environment. Sandboxing is a critical security mechanism in macOS that restricts applications to a limited set of resources and files, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive data. This flaw effectively breaks the sandbox containment, enabling a malicious or compromised app to access files beyond its permitted scope. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284 (Improper Access Control), indicating that the system fails to enforce proper permissions. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5 (medium), with an attack vector of local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and requiring user interaction (UI:R). The impact is high on confidentiality (C:H), but no impact on integrity (I:N) or availability (A:N). There are no known exploits in the wild as of the publication date, and Apple has addressed the issue by implementing additional restrictions in the specified macOS versions. The vulnerability could be exploited by tricking a user into running a malicious app or code that then reads sensitive files outside its sandbox, potentially exposing confidential information such as user documents, credentials, or system files.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to data confidentiality, especially for entities that rely on macOS systems for sensitive operations, including government agencies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and technology companies. Unauthorized access to files outside the sandbox could lead to leakage of personal data protected under GDPR, intellectual property theft, or exposure of internal documents. Since the attack requires local access and user interaction, the threat is more pronounced in environments where users may install untrusted software or where endpoint security controls are lax. The medium severity indicates that while the vulnerability is not trivially exploitable remotely, it can be leveraged in targeted attacks or combined with other vulnerabilities for privilege escalation. The confidentiality breach could undermine trust and lead to regulatory penalties under European data protection laws. Additionally, organizations with remote or hybrid workforces using macOS devices may face increased exposure if endpoint security is not uniformly enforced.

European organizations should prioritize updating all macOS devices to the patched versions: macOS Sequoia 15.6, Ventura 13.7.7, or Sonoma 14.7.7 as soon as possible. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict application control policies, such as using Apple’s notarization and Gatekeeper features to restrict installation of untrusted apps. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions should be configured to monitor for unusual file access patterns indicative of sandbox escape attempts. User education is critical to reduce the risk of social engineering that could lead to execution of malicious apps. Implementing least privilege principles and restricting local user permissions can reduce the attack surface. Network segmentation and data loss prevention (DLP) tools can help detect and prevent exfiltration of sensitive data if a breach occurs. Regular audits of installed applications and sandbox configurations should be conducted to ensure compliance with security policies. For high-risk environments, consider deploying macOS security extensions or third-party sandboxing enhancements to provide additional containment layers.