CVE-2025-43314 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple macOS operating systems, specifically addressed in macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, and macOS Tahoe 26. The vulnerability stems from a parsing issue in the handling of directory paths, classified under CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory). This flaw allows an application to bypass intended path restrictions due to insufficient validation of directory paths, potentially enabling the app to access sensitive user data that it should not have permission to access. The vulnerability requires local access (Attack Vector: Local) and user interaction (UI:R), but does not require privileges (PR:N). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, indicating a medium severity level, with a high impact on confidentiality (C:H), no impact on integrity (I:N), and no impact on availability (A:N). The vulnerability does not appear to have known exploits in the wild as of the publication date. The root cause is improper path validation, which could allow directory traversal or similar attacks to access files outside of the intended directory scope. Apple has addressed this issue by improving path validation in the affected macOS versions. Users running earlier versions of macOS are vulnerable to this issue if they run malicious or compromised applications that exploit this flaw to access sensitive data. Since the attack requires local access and user interaction, the threat is more likely to be exploited via social engineering or malicious software installation rather than remote exploitation. However, the ability to access sensitive user data without proper authorization poses a significant privacy risk.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to confidentiality of sensitive data stored on macOS devices. Organizations with employees using vulnerable macOS versions may face data leakage risks if malicious applications are installed or if attackers gain local access to user machines. This could lead to exposure of personal data, intellectual property, or other sensitive information, potentially violating GDPR and other data protection regulations. The medium severity and requirement for local access reduce the likelihood of widespread automated exploitation, but targeted attacks or insider threats could leverage this vulnerability. The impact is particularly relevant for sectors handling sensitive or regulated data such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government institutions. Additionally, organizations with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies or remote workforces using macOS devices may have increased exposure. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so it is less likely to cause operational disruption but remains a privacy and compliance concern.

European organizations should prioritize updating macOS devices to the patched versions: macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, or macOS Tahoe 26. Until updates are applied, organizations should implement strict application control policies to prevent installation or execution of untrusted or unsigned applications that could exploit this vulnerability. Endpoint protection solutions should be configured to detect and block suspicious local activities involving directory traversal or unauthorized file access. User awareness training should emphasize the risks of installing unknown applications and the importance of verifying software sources. Network segmentation and limiting local access to macOS devices can reduce the attack surface. Additionally, organizations should audit macOS devices for unauthorized applications and monitor for unusual file access patterns. Regular backups and data encryption can help mitigate data exposure risks. Finally, organizations should maintain an inventory of macOS devices and ensure timely patch management aligned with Apple’s security updates.