Overview
CVE-2025-43199 is a serious cybersecurity vulnerability that affects multiple versions of the macOS operating system. It is a permissions related issue that, if exploited, could allow a malicious application to gain root privileges on the targeted system. This might result in potential system compromise or data leakage, posing a serious threat to data security and integrity. Given the high CVSS severity score of 9.8, the vulnerability should be addressed promptly by all affected parties, which include both businesses and individual users of the affected macOS versions.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-43199
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 9.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
macOS Sequoia | Prior to 15.6
macOS Sonoma | Prior to 14.7.7
macOS Ventura | Prior to 13.7.7
How the Exploit Works
The exploit operates by exploiting a flaw in the permissions setup of the affected macOS versions. A malicious application, once installed and run by the user, can leverage this flaw to escalate its privileges to root level. This would give the application full administrative control over the system, enabling it to execute arbitrary commands, modify system configurations, access or alter data, or even install additional malicious software.
Conceptual Example Code
The following pseudocode represents conceptually how this vulnerability might be exploited:
// Malicious app payload
if (checkOSversion() < fixedVersion) {
privilegeEscalationToRoot();
// Execute malicious activities with root privileges
executeMaliciousActivities();
}In the above, `checkOSversion()` is a function that checks the version of the operating system. If it is less than the version in which the vulnerability is fixed, the malicious application proceeds to escalate its privileges to root level using the `privilegeEscalationToRoot()` function. Finally, it executes its malicious activities using the `executeMaliciousActivities()` function.
Please note that this is a conceptual representation only and does not represent a real-world exploit code.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to update their affected macOS versions to the latest patched versions. If immediate patching is not possible, temporary mitigation can be achieved by using Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to monitor and block suspicious activities. However, this should only be considered as a temporary solution, and patching should be done as soon as feasible.