CVE-2025-43523: 
macOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-43523 is a permissions issue in the AppleMobileFileIntegrity component of macOS that allows an app to access sensitive user data. It affects macOS Sequoia versions prior to 15.7.3 and was also addressed in macOS Tahoe 26.2. The vulnerability was disclosed on December 12, 2025, when Apple released the corresponding security updates. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (Medium) (Apple Advisory - Sequoia, Apple Advisory - Tahoe).

The root cause is a permissions issue (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) in the AppleMobileFileIntegrity subsystem, which is responsible for enforcing code-signing and integrity policies on macOS. Apple addressed the flaw by adding additional restrictions to the permissions handling logic. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction, meaning a malicious app running on the affected system could leverage this flaw to read sensitive user data that should be protected by the operating system's access controls. No public technical write-up or proof-of-concept code has been identified at this time (Apple Advisory - Sequoia, Apple Advisory - Tahoe).

Successful exploitation allows a malicious application to access sensitive user data that it should not be permitted to read, resulting in a high confidentiality impact. There is no integrity or availability impact associated with this vulnerability. The scope is limited to the local system, but unauthorized access to sensitive data could facilitate further attacks such as credential theft or privacy violations (Apple Advisory - Sequoia).

Apple has released patches addressing CVE-2025-43523 in macOS Sequoia 15.7.3 (released December 12, 2025) and macOS Tahoe 26.2. Users and administrators should update affected macOS systems to these versions or later as soon as possible. No configuration-based workarounds have been published by Apple (Apple Advisory - Sequoia, Apple Advisory - Tahoe).

The CIS Security advisory noted that multiple vulnerabilities in Apple products patched in this release cycle could allow for arbitrary code execution, grouping CVE-2025-43523 among a broader set of fixes (CIS Advisory). No notable individual researcher commentary or significant social media discussion specific to this CVE has been identified beyond standard vulnerability tracking and aggregation activity.