CVE-2025-43256 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Apple macOS discovered and published in July 2025. The root cause is improper state management within the operating system that allows an application to gain root privileges, bypassing normal security controls. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management). The issue affects macOS versions prior to Sequoia 15.6 and Sonoma 14.7.7, where Apple has implemented fixes to improve state management and prevent unauthorized privilege escalation. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, indicating high severity, with an attack vector of local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and requiring user interaction (UI:R). The scope is unchanged (S:U), but the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H). This means an attacker with local access and the ability to trick a user into interaction can gain full root control, potentially compromising the entire system. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk if weaponized. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because gaining root privileges enables attackers to bypass security mechanisms, install persistent malware, access sensitive data, and disrupt system operations. The fix involves improved state management in the OS kernel or related components to ensure privilege boundaries are enforced correctly.

For European organizations, this vulnerability presents a critical risk to any macOS-based infrastructure, including corporate laptops, servers, and development environments. Attackers gaining root privileges can exfiltrate sensitive data, install backdoors, or disrupt services, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure are especially vulnerable due to the potential for data breaches and operational disruption. The requirement for local access and user interaction somewhat limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk, particularly in environments with shared workstations or where users may be socially engineered. The lack of known exploits currently reduces immediate threat but the high severity score and ease of exploitation once local access is obtained mean that attackers may develop exploits rapidly. Failure to patch promptly could lead to targeted attacks against European enterprises relying on macOS devices.

European organizations should immediately verify the macOS versions deployed and prioritize upgrading to macOS Sequoia 15.6 or Sonoma 14.7.7 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. Restrict local user permissions to prevent unauthorized application installations and limit the ability of users to run untrusted software. Implement endpoint protection solutions that monitor for privilege escalation attempts and suspicious local activity. Conduct user awareness training to reduce the risk of social engineering that could trigger the required user interaction for exploitation. Employ application whitelisting to control which applications can execute on macOS systems. Regularly audit and monitor macOS devices for signs of compromise or unusual privilege escalations. Where possible, segregate macOS systems handling sensitive data from less secure environments to reduce attack surface. Maintain up-to-date backups to recover from potential compromises.