CVE-2025-43337 is a vulnerability in Apple macOS identified as an access control issue (CWE-284) where an application may bypass sandbox restrictions to access sensitive user data. The vulnerability arises from insufficient sandbox enforcement, allowing an app with local user interaction to read data it should not have access to. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.5 (medium), with attack vector local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), and no impact on integrity or availability (I:N, A:N). Apple fixed this issue by enhancing sandbox restrictions in macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS Sequoia 15.7.2. The affected versions are unspecified but presumably all prior to these releases. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported. The vulnerability primarily threatens confidentiality by enabling unauthorized data access, potentially exposing sensitive personal or corporate information. Exploitation requires the user to run a malicious or compromised app locally, which then leverages the sandbox bypass to access protected data. This vulnerability highlights the importance of sandboxing as a security boundary in macOS and the risks when such controls are insufficient.

For European organizations, the primary impact is the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user data on macOS endpoints. This could include personal information, corporate documents, credentials stored locally, or other confidential data. Such data leakage could lead to privacy violations, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR), reputational damage, and potential financial loss. The vulnerability does not allow remote exploitation or privilege escalation, limiting its scope to local attackers or social engineering scenarios where users are tricked into running malicious apps. However, given the widespread use of macOS in sectors like finance, technology, and creative industries across Europe, the risk of insider threats or targeted attacks exploiting this vulnerability is non-negligible. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the need for timely patching. Organizations with bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies or less controlled app installation environments are at higher risk.

1. Immediately update all macOS systems to macOS Tahoe 26 or macOS Sequoia 15.7.2 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Enforce strict application installation policies, allowing only trusted and verified apps to run, reducing the risk of malicious apps exploiting this vulnerability. 3. Implement endpoint protection solutions capable of monitoring and restricting app behaviors that attempt to bypass sandbox restrictions. 4. Educate users about the risks of running untrusted applications and the importance of user interaction in exploitation scenarios. 5. Regularly audit and review sandbox configurations and macOS security settings to ensure they align with best practices. 6. Employ data loss prevention (DLP) tools to detect and prevent unauthorized access or exfiltration of sensitive data. 7. Monitor logs for unusual access patterns or attempts to exploit sandbox weaknesses. 8. For organizations with sensitive data, consider additional application whitelisting and stricter user privilege management to minimize attack surface.