CVE-2025-43222
CRITICALCVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
2Description
A use-after-free issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in iPadOS 17.7.9, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7. An attacker may be able to cause unexpected app termination.
Analysis
Use-after-free memory corruption in Apple's operating systems (iPadOS 17.x, macOS Sequoia 15.x, Sonoma 14.x, Ventura 13.x) allows network-based attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service without authentication. The vulnerability was remediated by removing the vulnerable code entirely rather than patching it. Despite a critical CVSS 9.8 score, EPSS indicates only 0.08% exploitation probability (24th percentile), and no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Apple released patches in July 2025 across all affected platforms simultaneously.
Technical Context
This vulnerability manifests as a use-after-free condition (CWE-416), a class of memory corruption defect where code attempts to access memory after it has been freed. Use-after-free bugs occur when improper memory lifecycle management causes dangling pointers to reference deallocated heap memory. When exploited, attackers can manipulate freed memory contents to achieve arbitrary code execution, information disclosure, or denial of service. The affected products span Apple's entire desktop and tablet operating system portfolio: iPadOS 17.x, macOS Ventura 13.x, macOS Sonoma 14.x, and macOS Sequoia 15.x. Apple's remediation approach-removing vulnerable code entirely rather than attempting to fix the memory management-suggests the affected component was either deprecated functionality or code that could be safely eliminated without impacting core system functionality. This architectural decision reduces future attack surface but may indicate the code path was sufficiently complex that secure refactoring was deemed infeasible.
Affected Products
The vulnerability affects Apple iPadOS versions prior to 17.7.9, macOS Sequoia versions prior to 15.6, macOS Sonoma versions prior to 14.7.7, and macOS Ventura versions prior to 13.7.7. The CPE identifiers span cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados and cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos across these version ranges. Apple's security advisories (HT124148, HT124149, HT124150, HT124151) provide detailed affected version matrices at support.apple.com. The simultaneous patching across four major operating system branches indicates a shared codebase vulnerability affecting Apple's unified operating system foundation.
Remediation
Vendor-released patches are available: upgrade iPadOS to version 17.7.9 or later, macOS Sequoia to 15.6 or later, macOS Sonoma to 14.7.7 or later, or macOS Ventura to 13.7.7 or later. Apple addressed the vulnerability by removing the affected code entirely rather than patching the use-after-free condition, eliminating future exploitation risk for this specific code path. Patches were released simultaneously in July 2025 through Apple's standard update mechanisms (System Settings > General > Software Update for macOS, Settings > General > Software Update for iPadOS). Organizations should apply updates through Mobile Device Management systems for enterprise deployments. Complete remediation guidance is available in Apple security advisories at https://support.apple.com/en-us/124148 (Ventura), https://support.apple.com/en-us/124149 (Sonoma), https://support.apple.com/en-us/124150 (Sequoia), and https://support.apple.com/en-us/124151 (iPadOS). No workarounds are documented; patching is the only remediation path.
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