CVE-2025-43275 is a critical vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows an application to potentially break out of its sandbox environment. The root cause is a race condition, a type of flaw where the timing of actions can lead to unexpected behavior, which in this case enables an app to bypass sandbox restrictions. Sandboxing is a key security mechanism in macOS designed to isolate applications and limit their access to system resources and user data, thereby containing potential damage from malicious or compromised apps. This vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions, including macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, and macOS Ventura 13.7.7, with unspecified earlier versions also likely impacted. The issue was addressed by Apple through additional validation steps to prevent the race condition. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, indicating a critical severity level. The vector string (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) reveals that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network without any privileges or user interaction, and it impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level. The CWE associated is CWE-362, which corresponds to race conditions. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the ease of exploitation and the potential impact make this a significant threat. The vulnerability allows an attacker to escape the sandbox, potentially gaining unauthorized access to system resources, sensitive data, or the ability to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, which could lead to full system compromise.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a severe risk, especially those relying on macOS systems for critical operations, development, or handling sensitive information. Successful exploitation could lead to data breaches, intellectual property theft, disruption of services, and compromise of user privacy. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and technology are particularly at risk due to the sensitive nature of their data and regulatory requirements like GDPR. The ability to break out of the sandbox means attackers could bypass macOS's built-in security controls, potentially leading to widespread system compromise and lateral movement within networks. This could also undermine trust in macOS-based environments and necessitate costly incident response and remediation efforts. Given the vulnerability requires no user interaction or privileges, automated attacks or worm-like propagation could be possible if exploited in the wild, increasing the threat to European enterprises.

1. Immediate patching: Organizations should prioritize updating all macOS devices to the fixed versions (macOS Sequoia 15.6, Sonoma 14.7.7, Ventura 13.7.7) as soon as the patches are available. 2. Restrict network exposure: Limit network access to macOS devices, especially from untrusted networks, to reduce the attack surface. 3. Application control: Employ strict application whitelisting and sandboxing policies to minimize the risk of malicious apps running. 4. Monitoring and detection: Implement advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying abnormal behaviors indicative of sandbox escapes or privilege escalation. 5. Incident response readiness: Prepare and test incident response plans specifically for macOS environments to quickly contain and remediate potential exploitation. 6. User awareness: Although no user interaction is required, educating users on safe application installation practices can reduce the risk of malicious app introduction. 7. Network segmentation: Segment macOS devices from critical infrastructure to limit lateral movement if a compromise occurs. 8. Vulnerability management: Continuously monitor for updates and advisories from Apple and security communities to stay ahead of emerging threats related to this vulnerability.