CVE-2025-43278: An app may be able to access protected user data in Apple macOS
CVE-2025-43278 is a vulnerability in Apple macOS where an application may be able to access protected user data due to insufficient handling of symbolic links. This issue has been addressed with improved symlink handling and fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability involves an application potentially gaining unauthorized access to protected user data on macOS systems. The root cause was inadequate handling of symbolic links, which could be exploited to bypass access controls. Apple fixed this issue by improving symlink handling in macOS Sequoia 15.4. No CVSS score is provided, and no known exploits in the wild have been reported.
Potential Impact
An attacker controlling or tricking an app into exploiting this vulnerability could access protected user data that should otherwise be inaccessible. This could lead to privacy breaches or unauthorized data disclosure on affected macOS systems prior to version 15.4.
Mitigation Recommendations
The vulnerability is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4. Users and administrators should update to macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later to remediate this issue. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor advisory stating the fix is included in this version. No other mitigation guidance is provided.
CVE-2025-43278: An app may be able to access protected user data in Apple macOS
Description
CVE-2025-43278 is a vulnerability in Apple macOS where an application may be able to access protected user data due to insufficient handling of symbolic links. This issue has been addressed with improved symlink handling and fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4.
Affected software
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability involves an application potentially gaining unauthorized access to protected user data on macOS systems. The root cause was inadequate handling of symbolic links, which could be exploited to bypass access controls. Apple fixed this issue by improving symlink handling in macOS Sequoia 15.4. No CVSS score is provided, and no known exploits in the wild have been reported.
Potential Impact
An attacker controlling or tricking an app into exploiting this vulnerability could access protected user data that should otherwise be inaccessible. This could lead to privacy breaches or unauthorized data disclosure on affected macOS systems prior to version 15.4.
Mitigation Recommendations
The vulnerability is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4. Users and administrators should update to macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later to remediate this issue. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor advisory stating the fix is included in this version. No other mitigation guidance is provided.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- apple
- Date Reserved
- 2025-04-16T15:24:37.101Z
- Cvss Version
- null
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a2b05c1815e7002b81e9970
Added to database: 6/11/2026, 7:00:17 PM
Last enriched: 6/11/2026, 7:30:05 PM
Last updated: 6/12/2026, 3:56:27 AM
Views: 16
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
External Links
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.