CVE-2025-43295 is a denial-of-service vulnerability identified in Apple macOS and related operating systems including iOS and iPadOS. The root cause is insufficient validation within a component of the OS that allows a local application to trigger resource exhaustion, leading to a system crash or unresponsiveness. This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-400, which relates to uncontrolled resource consumption. The flaw can be exploited by an unprivileged application but requires user interaction, such as running or opening the malicious app. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5 (medium), with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, indicating local attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction needed, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, but high impact on availability. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple OS versions prior to the patched releases: macOS Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, Tahoe 26, iOS 18.7, and iPadOS 18.7. Apple addressed the issue by improving validation mechanisms to prevent resource exhaustion. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, but the vulnerability could be leveraged by attackers to disrupt systems, causing denial-of-service conditions. This could impact end-user productivity and critical services running on affected Apple devices. The vulnerability is particularly relevant for environments where Apple devices are widely used and where availability is critical. Organizations should prioritize patching to mitigate potential exploitation risks.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-43295 is on system availability. An attacker could cause affected Apple devices to crash or become unresponsive, leading to denial-of-service conditions. This could disrupt business operations, especially in sectors relying heavily on Apple hardware such as creative industries, software development, and certain governmental or educational institutions. Although the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact could result in downtime, loss of productivity, and potential operational delays. Since exploitation requires local access and user interaction, the threat is more relevant in environments where users may inadvertently run malicious applications or where insider threats exist. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk, but the medium severity rating and ease of triggering a DoS condition warrant timely mitigation. Organizations with mixed-device environments should be aware of this vulnerability to avoid cascading effects on networked services or workflows dependent on macOS or iOS devices.

To mitigate CVE-2025-43295, European organizations should: 1) Immediately apply the security updates released by Apple for macOS Sequoia 15.7, Sonoma 14.8, Tahoe 26, iOS 18.7, and iPadOS 18.7 or later versions to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2) Implement strict application control policies to prevent installation or execution of untrusted or unsigned applications, reducing the risk of malicious apps triggering the DoS. 3) Educate users about the risks of running unknown applications and encourage cautious behavior regarding app installation and execution. 4) Monitor endpoint behavior for signs of abnormal resource consumption or crashes that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of detecting anomalous application behavior related to resource exhaustion. 6) In environments with critical Apple device usage, consider network segmentation to limit the impact of compromised devices on broader infrastructure. 7) Maintain regular backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential DoS incidents. These steps go beyond generic patching advice by focusing on user behavior, application control, and proactive monitoring tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.