What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-43527?

CVE-2025-43527 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

Which versions of macOS are affected by CVE-2025-43527?

CVE-2025-43527 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting macOS Sequoia and Tahoe that allows authenticated users to gain root access through a permissions flaw.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2025-43527?

Within 24 hours: Inventory all macOS Sequoia systems below version 15.7.3 and macOS Tahoe systems below version 26.2; disable or restrict local user access where operationally feasible. Within 7 days: Deploy macOS security updates to Sequoia 15.7.3 or later and Tahoe 26.2 or later across all affected devices. Within 30 days: Conduct privilege access reviews and audit all user accounts with local login capability; implement application-level access controls to restrict sensitive operations.

macOS CVE-2025-43527

HIGH

Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges (CWE-280)

2025-12-12 product-security@apple.com

Apple macOS Privilege Escalation

7.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

7.8 HIGH

AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Apr 02, 2026 - 19:37 vuln.today

CVE Published

Dec 12, 2025 - 21:15 nvd

HIGH 7.8

DescriptionCVE.org

A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.3, macOS Tahoe 26.2. An app may be able to gain root privileges.

AnalysisAI

Local privilege escalation in macOS Sequoia (pre-15.7.3) and macOS Tahoe (pre-26.2) allows authenticated users with low-level privileges to gain root access via a permissions flaw. Apple addressed the issue with additional restrictions in the latest updates. EPSS score of 0.01% indicates minimal observed exploitation activity, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis.

Technical ContextAI

This vulnerability stems from CWE-280 (Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges), indicating that the operating system failed to properly enforce permission boundaries between low-privileged user contexts and root-level system resources. The affected component is the core macOS permission framework present in both the current Sequoia branch (15.x) and the newer Tahoe release (26.x). Apple's fix involved adding additional restrictions to the permissions model, suggesting the original implementation either granted excessive default permissions to applications or failed to validate privilege boundaries during certain system operations. The vulnerability affects the macOS kernel or system framework layer where privilege separation is enforced, allowing applications running in user space to bypass intended security boundaries and execute code with superuser privileges.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: macOS Sequoia 15.7.3 and macOS Tahoe 26.2. Organizations should prioritize updating all macOS endpoints to these fixed versions through standard enterprise patch management workflows. Apply updates via System Settings > General > Software Update for individual systems, or deploy through Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions such as Jamf Pro or Kandji for enterprise environments. Full advisory and update instructions are available at https://support.apple.com/en-us/125886 and https://support.apple.com/en-us/125887. No workarounds have been published; patching is the only effective remediation. Given the local attack vector, compensating controls such as restricting user application installation privileges and monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation attempts via Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions can provide interim risk reduction while patches are deployed.