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CVE-2025-43357 Apple CVE debrief

CVE-2025-43357 is a LOW-severity privacy issue in Apple operating systems where an app may be able to fingerprint the user. The vulnerability stems from insufficient redaction of sensitive information, allowing applications to potentially collect identifying characteristics about the user or device. Apple addressed this through improved redaction mechanisms in security updates released September 2025. The issue affects iOS, iPadOS, and macOS versions prior to their respective 26.0 releases, as well as earlier supported versions receiving backported fixes. The CVSS 3.1 score of 3.3 reflects the local attack vector, low attack complexity, and limited confidentiality impact. While not designated as a Known Exploited Vulnerability, fingerprinting capabilities can enable tracking and correlation of user activity across sessions and applications, posing privacy concerns particularly for users with heightened threat models.

Vendor
Apple
Product
iOS and iPadOS
CVSS
LOW 3.3
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2025-09-15
Original CVE updated
2026-05-26
Advisory published
2025-09-15
Advisory updated
2026-05-26

Who should care

Privacy-conscious users and organizations deploying Apple devices should prioritize this update to prevent application-based tracking and fingerprinting. Enterprises with bring-your-own-device policies or managed Apple fleets should ensure patch deployment to mitigate cross-application user tracking risks. Developers building privacy-sensitive applications should review the redaction improvements to understand protected data categories.

Technical summary

This vulnerability exists in the information redaction mechanisms of Apple operating systems, where sensitive data insufficiently sanitized could be accessed by applications to construct unique fingerprints of users or devices. The attack requires local access with user interaction, as an installed application must execute to collect the identifying information. The fingerprinting capability enables tracking and correlation without traditional identifiers, undermining privacy expectations. Apple's fix implements improved redaction logic to prevent exposure of the sensitive attributes used in fingerprinting calculations. The issue spans multiple OS generations, with fixes backported to maintained release branches (18.7 for iOS/iPadOS, 14.8/15.7 for macOS) in addition to the version 26 major release train.

Defensive priority

LOW

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply available security updates to iOS 18.7 or later, iPadOS 18.7 or later, macOS Sequoia 15.7, macOS Sonoma 14.8, or macOS Tahoe 26 as applicable to your device
  • For devices unable to upgrade to version 26, install the backported 18.7 (iOS/iPadOS) or 14.8/15.7 (macOS) security updates
  • Review installed applications for unnecessary permissions that could facilitate fingerprinting behavior
  • Consider using application sandboxing and privacy controls to limit data exposure to untrusted applications
  • Monitor for future Apple security advisories related to information disclosure and fingerprinting mitigations

Evidence notes

The vulnerability description and affected product versions are derived from the official CVE record and NVD entry. CPE criteria confirm affected platforms include iOS, iPadOS, and macOS with version constraints indicating fixes in major version 26.0 and backported security updates. The CVSS vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N substantiates the LOW severity rating. Secondary weakness classification as CWE-359 (Exposure of Private Information) aligns with the fingerprinting behavior described.

Official resources

Apple disclosed this vulnerability on September 15, 2025, with the NVD record subsequently modified on May 26, 2026. The disclosure was coordinated through Apple's standard security release process with accompanying security advisory notes.