CVE-2025-43257
Apple Macos ≤ 15.6
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:LSummary
CVE-2025-43257 is a high-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Apple Macos. Its CVSS base score is 8.7 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-43257 is a vulnerability stemming from improper handling of symlinks, classified under CWE-59. It affects macOS Sequoia versions prior to 15.6, where a sandboxed app can potentially escape its containment.
The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.7 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L), indicating exploitation requires local access, low privileges, low complexity, and no user interaction. A malicious app running within a sandbox can leverage this flaw to break out, achieving high impacts on confidentiality and integrity across the system's scope, with a low impact on availability.
Apple's advisory confirms the issue was fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.6 via improved symlink handling. Practitioners should apply this update promptly; see https://support.apple.com/en-us/124149 for full details.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-209197
Vulnerability Data
This issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.6. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V15.4.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Proper enforcement of access authorizations on the resolved target resource stops a link from reaching an unintended object.
Least-privilege limits the damage an attacker can cause after following an unintended link.
Validating file-name inputs can reject or canonicalize names that resolve to links before access occurs.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require code to validate paths and avoid unsafe link following.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect link-following flaws before release.
Secure SDLC practices can mandate link-resolution checks and canonicalization before file access.
Application security requirements can explicitly require safe handling of symbolic links and path traversal.
Secure architecture principles include input validation and safe file-access design patterns.
Secure coding standards directly address canonicalization and symlink attacks during implementation.
Access-control rules can limit which files are reachable, reducing exposure to malicious links.