VulnerabilityPublished 4 Nov 2025Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2025-43502: Apple Safari · Improper Access Control

Affects Apple SafariSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in 26.1 : patch Apple Safari soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 40% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 26.1

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 4 Nov 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple Safari	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-43502, organizations and users should immediately update Safari and all affected Apple operating systems to version 26.1 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. Beyond patching, administrators should enforce strict app vetting and limit installation of untrusted applications to reduce exposure to malicious apps attempting to exploit privacy bypasses. Implementing mobile device management (MDM) policies can help control app permissions and monitor for anomalous behavior indicative of privacy violations. Network-level protections such as intrusion detection systems (IDS) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions should be tuned to detect suspicious traffic patterns or unauthorized data access attempts originating from Safari or related processes. Regular privacy audits and user education on the importance of timely updates and cautious app installation can further reduce risk. For high-security environments, consider additional sandboxing or containerization of browser sessions to isolate sensitive data. Monitoring Apple security advisories for any updates or emerging exploit reports is also recommended. Finally, organizations should review their incident response plans to include scenarios involving privacy bypass vulnerabilities.

Description

A privacy issue was addressed by removing sensitive data. This issue is fixed in Safari 26.1, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1. An app may be able to bypass certain Privacy preferences.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-43502 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user data due to bypassed privacy preferences in Safari and related Apple operating systems. This compromises user confidentiality, potentially exposing personal information, browsing habits, or other private data to malicious applications. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, the risk is focused on privacy breaches rather than system disruption or data manipulation. The ease of exploitation—requiring no privileges or user interaction—raises the likelihood of remote attacks, increasing the threat surface for users of affected Apple platforms. Organizations relying on Apple devices for sensitive communications or data processing may face increased risk of data leakage, regulatory non-compliance, and reputational damage. Although no active exploits are known, the vulnerability's presence in widely used consumer and enterprise devices globally means that attackers could develop exploits, especially targeting high-value individuals or entities. The impact is particularly critical for sectors with stringent privacy requirements such as healthcare, finance, government, and technology. Failure to update promptly could lead to exploitation by threat actors seeking to bypass privacy controls for espionage, surveillance, or data theft.

CWE-284Improper Access Control (opens in a new tab)
Pillar weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #19OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Embedding Scripts within Scripts (opens in a new tab)
Modification of Windows Service Configuration (opens in a new tab)
Malicious Root Certificate (opens in a new tab)
Intent Spoof (opens in a new tab)
WebView Exposure (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 02:32 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-284

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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