CVE-2025-43480 is a security vulnerability discovered in Apple Safari browsers that enables a malicious website to exfiltrate data across origins, effectively bypassing the browser's same-origin policy (SOP). The SOP is a critical security mechanism that prevents scripts on one origin from accessing data on another, thus protecting user data from unauthorized access. This vulnerability impacts Safari on multiple Apple platforms, including iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS, prior to version 26.1. The flaw arises from insufficient enforcement of cross-origin data access checks, allowing an attacker-controlled website to read sensitive data from other origins loaded in the browser context. This could include cookies, local storage, or other sensitive information accessible via the browser. Apple addressed this issue by enhancing the validation logic that governs cross-origin data access, releasing patches in Safari 26.1 and corresponding OS updates. Exploitation requires a user to visit a malicious or compromised website, but does not require authentication or elevated privileges. No public exploits or active exploitation campaigns have been reported to date. The vulnerability poses a significant risk to user privacy and data confidentiality, especially in environments where sensitive information is accessed via Safari. Given the widespread use of Apple devices in enterprise and consumer environments, this vulnerability has broad implications. Organizations relying on Apple ecosystems should prioritize patching to prevent potential data leakage and maintain compliance with data protection regulations.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-43480 is primarily on the confidentiality of sensitive data accessed through Safari browsers on Apple devices. Data exfiltration across origins can lead to unauthorized disclosure of personal data, intellectual property, or corporate secrets. This is particularly critical for sectors such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government agencies that handle sensitive or regulated information. The vulnerability could be exploited to bypass browser security boundaries, enabling attackers to harvest session tokens, authentication credentials, or other sensitive data without user consent. This may facilitate further attacks such as account takeover, identity theft, or corporate espionage. Additionally, the breach of confidentiality could lead to regulatory penalties under GDPR and damage organizational reputation. Since Apple devices are widely used in European enterprises and among consumers, the attack surface is significant. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, as attackers may develop exploits post-disclosure. The vulnerability also poses risks to remote workers and mobile employees who frequently use Safari on Apple devices to access corporate resources. Overall, the potential for data leakage and privacy violations makes this a high-impact threat for European organizations.

To mitigate CVE-2025-43480, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Immediately deploy the security updates released by Apple, upgrading Safari to version 26.1 or later on all affected devices including iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS. 2) Enforce organizational policies that mandate timely patching of Apple devices, leveraging Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to monitor and automate updates. 3) Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted or suspicious websites, emphasizing cautious browsing behavior to reduce exposure to malicious content. 4) Implement network-level protections such as web filtering and DNS security to block access to known malicious domains that could host exploit pages. 5) Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of identifying unusual browser behaviors indicative of data exfiltration attempts. 6) Review and restrict cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) policies on internal web applications to minimize data exposure. 7) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on browser-based vulnerabilities and data leakage scenarios. 8) Maintain comprehensive logging and monitoring of browser activity to detect potential exploitation attempts. These targeted actions will reduce the risk of exploitation and limit the impact of this vulnerability on organizational data confidentiality.