CVE-2025-43500: 
macOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-43500 is a privacy vulnerability in the Sandbox Profiles component of multiple Apple operating systems, allowing an app to access sensitive user data due to improper handling of user preferences. It was discovered by Stanislav Jelezoglo and disclosed by Apple on November 3, 2025, alongside the release of patched OS versions. Affected platforms include iOS, iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, visionOS, and watchOS — all versions prior to 26.1. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High), as assessed by CISA-ADP (Apple iOS/iPadOS Advisory, Apple watchOS Advisory, Apple visionOS Advisory, Apple macOS Advisory).

The root cause is classified as CWE-359 (Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor), stemming from improper handling of user preferences within the Sandbox Profiles subsystem. The fix was described by Apple as addressing "a privacy issue with improved handling of user preferences," indicating that sandbox policy enforcement did not adequately restrict app access to certain user preference data. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity and requires no privileges or user interaction, suggesting that a malicious app installed on the device could silently read sensitive user data without triggering permission prompts. No public technical write-up or proof-of-concept code has been identified (Apple iOS/iPadOS Advisory, Apple macOS Advisory).

Successful exploitation allows a malicious application to access sensitive user data that should be protected by sandbox restrictions, resulting in a confidentiality breach. The impact is limited to information disclosure — there is no integrity or availability impact based on the CVSS assessment. Affected assets span a broad range of Apple devices running iOS, iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, visionOS, and watchOS prior to version 26.1, potentially exposing personal data stored in user preferences to unauthorized apps (Apple iOS/iPadOS Advisory, Apple watchOS Advisory).

There is no public proof-of-concept exploit and no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation as of the time of reporting (Feedly). The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The EPSS score is approximately 0.017%, reflecting a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. No threat actor attribution has been identified in connection with this CVE.

Apple has released patches addressing CVE-2025-43500 in the following OS versions: iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, and watchOS 26.1, all released on November 3, 2025. Users should update all affected Apple devices to version 26.1 or later immediately. As a supplementary measure, organizations should restrict installation of untrusted third-party apps and implement network-level web content filtering on managed devices (Apple iOS/iPadOS Advisory, Apple macOS Advisory, Apple watchOS Advisory, Apple visionOS Advisory).

Coverage of CVE-2025-43500 was largely bundled within broader reporting on Apple's November 2025 security update cycle, which addressed over 50 vulnerabilities across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Security news outlets such as 9to5Mac and The Cyber Express covered the iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1 security fixes, and CIS issued an advisory noting multiple vulnerabilities in Apple products could allow for arbitrary code execution (CIS Advisory). No specific researcher commentary or social media discussion focused exclusively on CVE-2025-43500 has been identified.