CVE-2025-43286 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS operating systems, specifically versions prior to macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, and macOS Tahoe 26. The vulnerability arises from a permissions issue that allows an application to potentially break out of its sandbox environment. Sandboxing is a critical security mechanism in macOS designed to isolate applications and restrict their access to system resources and user data, thereby limiting the potential damage caused by malicious or compromised apps. This vulnerability, classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicates that the affected system fails to properly enforce authorization checks, enabling an app with limited privileges to escalate its permissions beyond the sandbox constraints. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 reflects a high severity level, with the vector indicating that exploitation requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and results in high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the potential for an attacker to execute arbitrary code with escalated privileges and access sensitive data or disrupt system operations is significant. The vulnerability affects macOS systems broadly, but the exact affected versions are unspecified beyond the fixed releases. The fix involves additional restrictions to the permissions model, reinforcing sandbox boundaries to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation by applications.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, especially for enterprises and institutions relying on macOS devices for daily operations, including government agencies, financial institutions, and technology companies. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate or personal data, compromise of system integrity, and potential disruption of critical services. Given the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, attackers could exfiltrate confidential information, implant persistent malware, or cause denial-of-service conditions. The requirement for local access and low privileges means that an insider threat or malware that has already gained limited access could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and move laterally within the network. This elevates the risk profile for organizations with macOS endpoints that may not be fully patched or monitored. Additionally, the lack of user interaction needed for exploitation increases the stealth and automation potential of attacks, making detection and prevention more challenging. The vulnerability could also impact developers and software vendors who distribute macOS applications, as compromised or malicious apps could exploit this flaw to bypass sandbox restrictions and affect end users.

European organizations should prioritize patching affected macOS systems by upgrading to macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, or macOS Tahoe 26 as soon as updates are available. Until patches are applied, organizations should implement strict endpoint security controls, including application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized or untrusted apps from executing. Employing macOS-specific security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and ensuring sandboxing policies are enforced can reduce risk. Monitoring for unusual local privilege escalation attempts and anomalous application behavior through endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions is critical. Restricting local user privileges and limiting physical or remote access to macOS devices can reduce the attack surface. Organizations should also conduct regular audits of installed applications and remove unnecessary or untrusted software. In environments where macOS devices are used for sensitive operations, consider network segmentation and enhanced logging to detect lateral movement attempts. Finally, educating users about the risks of installing unverified applications and maintaining robust backup and recovery processes will help mitigate potential damage from exploitation.