CVE-2025-43357 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple iOS and iPadOS platforms, identified as a potential user fingerprinting issue. The vulnerability arises from insufficient redaction of sensitive information accessible to applications, allowing a malicious app to uniquely identify or fingerprint a user. Fingerprinting can be used to track users across apps and sessions without their consent, posing privacy risks. The vulnerability does not allow direct compromise of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the device or data but impacts user privacy by enabling persistent tracking. The CVSS score is 5.5 (medium), with vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating that exploitation requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), user interaction (UI:R), and impacts confidentiality (C:H) but not integrity or availability. The vulnerability is fixed in macOS Tahoe 26, iOS 26, and iPadOS 26 by improving redaction of sensitive information. No known exploits are reported in the wild. The CWE associated is CWE-359 (Exposure of Private Information Through Query Strings in GET Request), indicating that sensitive data exposure is the root cause. This vulnerability primarily affects users running versions prior to iOS/iPadOS 26. Since exploitation requires user interaction and local access, the attack surface is limited to apps installed on the device, potentially malicious or compromised apps. The vulnerability does not allow remote exploitation without user involvement or elevated privileges, reducing its risk compared to remote code execution or privilege escalation flaws.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability is on user privacy and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. User fingerprinting can lead to unauthorized tracking and profiling, which may violate privacy laws and result in regulatory penalties. Organizations that provide iOS/iPadOS apps or manage fleets of Apple devices should be aware that users running unpatched versions may be susceptible to tracking by malicious apps, potentially leaking sensitive user behavior data. This could undermine trust in corporate mobile applications and complicate compliance efforts. However, since the vulnerability does not allow direct data theft or system compromise, the operational impact on business continuity or data integrity is limited. The requirement for user interaction and local app installation means that the threat vector is mainly through social engineering or malicious app distribution, which organizations can mitigate through app vetting and user education. Overall, the impact is moderate but significant in privacy-sensitive environments and regulated sectors.

1. Ensure all iOS and iPadOS devices within the organization are updated promptly to version 26 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Implement strict app installation policies, allowing only apps from trusted sources such as the Apple App Store, and consider using Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to enforce app whitelisting. 3. Educate users about the risks of installing untrusted apps and the importance of applying system updates promptly. 4. Monitor app permissions and behaviors for signs of fingerprinting or unusual data access patterns. 5. For organizations developing iOS/iPadOS apps, review app design to minimize exposure of sensitive information and avoid behaviors that could facilitate fingerprinting. 6. Employ network-level monitoring to detect anomalous traffic patterns that may indicate tracking or data exfiltration attempts. 7. Regularly audit device compliance and update status to ensure vulnerability remediation is effective.