CVE-2025-43482: 
macOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-43482 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in the Audio component of Apple macOS, caused by improper input validation. It affects macOS Sequoia versions 15.0 through 15.7.2 and macOS Sonoma versions 14.0 through 14.8.2, and was also addressed in macOS Tahoe 26.2. The vulnerability was disclosed and patched on December 12, 2025, with credits to researchers Michael Reeves (@IntegralPilot) and Jex Amro. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (Medium) (Apple Sequoia Advisory, Apple Sonoma Advisory).

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and resides in the macOS Audio subsystem. A local, low-privileged application can supply malformed input that the Audio component fails to properly validate, triggering a denial-of-service condition without requiring user interaction. The attack vector is local, with low attack complexity and low privileges required, meaning any installed app on an affected system could potentially exploit this flaw. Apple addressed the issue by implementing improved input validation in the patched releases (Apple Sequoia Advisory, Apple Sonoma Advisory).

Successful exploitation allows a local, low-privileged application to cause a denial-of-service condition on the affected macOS system, impacting availability. There is no confidentiality or integrity impact per the CVSS assessment, though Feedly's intelligence notes the vulnerability could also potentially allow applications to access protected user data through improperly redacted log entries. The scope is limited to the local system, with no evidence of lateral movement potential or significant data exfiltration risk (Apple Sequoia Advisory, Feedly).

There is no public proof-of-concept exploit available, and no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation has been reported. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The EPSS score is approximately 0.018% (0.000180), indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term (Feedly).

Apple has released patches addressing CVE-2025-43482 in macOS Sequoia 15.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.3, and macOS Tahoe 26.2, all released on December 12, 2025. Users running macOS Sequoia 15.0–15.7.2 or macOS Sonoma 14.0–14.8.2 should update to the respective patched versions immediately. As a temporary measure while updates are being deployed, restricting the installation of untrusted or unvetted applications can reduce exposure (Apple Sequoia Advisory, Apple Sonoma Advisory, Apple Tahoe Advisory).

The CIS issued an advisory noting multiple vulnerabilities in Apple products patched in the December 12, 2025 release cycle, including CVE-2025-43482, framing them in the context of potential arbitrary code execution risks across the Apple ecosystem (CIS Advisory). Community discussion was limited, with standard aggregation by vulnerability tracking platforms such as VulnDB and Vulners. No notable researcher commentary or significant social media discussion specific to this CVE was identified.