CVE-2025-43279 is a privacy-related vulnerability affecting Apple macOS, specifically addressed in the macOS Tahoe 26 release. The issue stems from insufficient redaction of private data within system log entries, which could allow a malicious application to access user-sensitive information without requiring any privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-359, which relates to exposure of sensitive information through improper handling or redaction. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.2, indicating a medium severity level. The vector string (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N) shows that the attack requires local access (AV:L), has low complexity (AC:L), does not require privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality with high severity (C:H) but does not affect integrity or availability. This means that an attacker with local access to the system could exploit the vulnerability to read sensitive data from logs that should have been properly redacted, potentially exposing private user information. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and the affected versions are unspecified, but the fix is included in macOS Tahoe 26. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure logging practices and proper data redaction to prevent leakage of sensitive information through system diagnostics or audit trails.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant privacy risk, especially for entities handling sensitive personal data such as financial institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies. Since the vulnerability allows local applications to access sensitive user data without requiring elevated privileges or user interaction, insider threats or compromised local accounts could exploit this to exfiltrate confidential information. This could lead to breaches of GDPR regulations, resulting in legal penalties and reputational damage. Additionally, organizations relying on macOS devices for critical operations may face increased risk of data leakage, undermining trust in their security posture. The impact is primarily on confidentiality, with no direct effect on system integrity or availability, but the exposure of sensitive data could facilitate further attacks or social engineering campaigns.

European organizations should prioritize updating all macOS systems to macOS Tahoe 26 or later to ensure the vulnerability is patched. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict access controls to limit local user permissions, minimizing the risk of unauthorized applications running on endpoints. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for unusual access to log files or attempts to read sensitive data. Regular audits of log management policies should be conducted to ensure sensitive data is properly redacted and logs are securely stored with restricted access. Additionally, organizations should enforce application whitelisting to prevent untrusted applications from executing locally. User education on the risks of installing unverified software can reduce the likelihood of local exploitation. Finally, consider implementing data loss prevention (DLP) tools that can detect and block unauthorized data exfiltration attempts from endpoints.