What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-46291?

CVE-2025-46291 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: 0.2%.

Which versions of macOS Gatekeeper are affected by CVE-2025-46291?

A Gatekeeper bypass vulnerability in Apple macOS (CVE-2025-46291, CVSS 7.8) allows locally-executing applications with standard user privileges to circumvent code-signing and notarization…

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2025-46291?

Within 24 hours, inventory all macOS endpoints in use and identify systems running Sequoia versions below 15.7.4 or Tahoe versions below 26.2. Within 7 days, deploy macOS Sequoia 15.7.4 or later, or Tahoe 26.2 or later, to all affected systems via your MDM solution or patch management tool, prioritizing engineering and security workstations. Within 30 days, complete patch verification across your fleet, confirm zero systems remain unpatched, and analyze endpoint telemetry from the 30 days prior to patching to identify any suspicious unsigned application execution that may indicate exploitation attempts.

macOS Gatekeeper CVE-2025-46291

HIGH

Protection Mechanism Failure (CWE-693)

2025-12-17 product-security@apple.com

Authentication Bypass Apple

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

vuln.today AI

7.8 HIGH

Local attack vector with low-privilege app execution context; no user interaction beyond launching the app; unsigned payload achieves full user-scope C/I/A impact.

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

4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Aug 21, 2026 - 01:28 vuln.today

CVE Published

Dec 17, 2025 - 21:16 nvd

HIGH 7.8

DescriptionNVD

A logic issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Tahoe 26.2. An app may bypass Gatekeeper checks.

AnalysisAI

Gatekeeper bypass in Apple macOS allows a locally-executing app with standard user privileges to circumvent Apple's code-signing and notarization enforcement mechanism, enabling unsigned or untrusted software to run without expected security warnings or blocks. Affected versions include all macOS releases prior to Sequoia 15.7.4 and Tahoe 26.2, per Apple's security advisories. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been confirmed at time of analysis; however, the C:H/I:H/A:H CVSS impact triad reflects that successful bypass can lead to full system compromise via malicious unsigned payload execution.

Technical ContextAI

Gatekeeper is macOS's primary application execution control mechanism, enforcing code signing, App Store provenance, and notarization requirements before permitting software to run. It relies on quarantine extended attributes and validation of Apple-issued certificates and notarization tickets. CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure) identifies the root cause class: the protective control exists but contains a logic flaw that permits it to be bypassed rather than defeated directly. The affected CPE (cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) covers all macOS versions without a lower bound specified in NVD data, implying broad version exposure. Apple's advisory describes the fix as improved validation logic, suggesting the bypass exploits an edge case in how Gatekeeper evaluates app provenance or quarantine state rather than a memory-safety issue.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is to update macOS to Sequoia 15.7.4 or macOS Tahoe 26.2, both of which contain Apple's improved Gatekeeper validation logic. Vendor advisories are available at https://support.apple.com/en-us/125886 (macOS Sequoia) and https://support.apple.com/en-us/126349 (macOS Tahoe). If immediate patching is not possible, a compensating control is to enforce MDM-managed Gatekeeper policy via a configuration profile set to 'App Store and identified developers only', which adds an administrative enforcement layer on top of the flawed local validation - though this does not fully eliminate the bypass risk. Additionally, enabling macOS System Integrity Protection (SIP) and Endpoint Security Framework-based EDR tools that independently monitor process execution can detect anomalous unsigned binary execution even if Gatekeeper is bypassed. Note: restricting user ability to install applications via MDM reduces attack surface but may impact legitimate workflows.