CVE-2025-43260 is a vulnerability identified in Apple macOS that enables a malicious application to hijack entitlements granted to other privileged applications. Entitlements in macOS are special permissions that allow apps to access system resources or perform sensitive operations beyond normal sandbox restrictions. This vulnerability arises from insufficient isolation or improper enforcement of entitlement boundaries, categorized under CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment). An attacker with local access can exploit this flaw without requiring user interaction or prior authentication, leveraging the vulnerability to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized capabilities by impersonating or hijacking entitlements from trusted apps. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.1 (medium severity), reflecting low attack complexity and no need for privileges or user interaction, but limited impact scope and partial confidentiality and integrity loss without affecting availability. Apple fixed this issue in macOS Sequoia 15.6 and macOS Sonoma 14.7.7 by enhancing data protection and entitlement enforcement mechanisms. While no known exploits are reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a risk to environments where untrusted or less secure apps might be installed alongside privileged applications, potentially enabling lateral movement or privilege escalation within affected systems.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive system capabilities or data if exploited, undermining confidentiality and integrity of critical information. Organizations relying on macOS for development, creative work, or administrative tasks may face risks of privilege escalation attacks that bypass normal security controls. This could facilitate further compromise, data leakage, or manipulation of system configurations. Although the vulnerability does not affect availability, the breach of entitlements could enable attackers to execute malicious code with elevated privileges, impacting trust in endpoint security. The risk is heightened in environments where users install third-party or less vetted applications, such as in research institutions, media companies, or government agencies. Failure to patch promptly could expose organizations to targeted attacks or insider threats leveraging this flaw.

European organizations should immediately verify the macOS versions deployed and prioritize upgrading to macOS Sequoia 15.6 or macOS Sonoma 14.7.7 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. Restrict installation of untrusted or unsigned applications through enterprise policies and use Apple’s Endpoint Security tools to monitor entitlement usage and app behavior. Employ application whitelisting and enforce strict code signing requirements to reduce the risk of malicious apps gaining foothold. Regularly audit installed applications and their entitlements to detect anomalies. Implement least privilege principles for user accounts and system processes to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Additionally, educate users about the risks of installing unauthorized software and maintain up-to-date backups to mitigate potential damage from privilege escalation attacks. Monitoring system logs for unusual entitlement access patterns can help detect exploitation attempts early.