CVE-2025-43224
HIGHCVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
2Description
An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6. Processing a maliciously crafted media file may lead to unexpected app termination or corrupt process memory.
Analysis
Out-of-bounds memory access in Apple media processing components affects iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS, allowing local attackers to crash applications or corrupt memory via malicious media files. Fixed in iOS/iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, and visionOS 2.6. EPSS score of 0.02% (4th percentile) indicates minimal observed exploitation probability, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, suggesting lower immediate risk despite CVSS 7.1 rating.
Technical Context
This vulnerability stems from CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), a buffer overflow condition in Apple's media file parsing subsystem used across their operating system ecosystem. The affected components include iOS (iPhone OS), iPadOS, macOS Sequoia, tvOS, and visionOS platforms, indicating a shared media processing framework or library vulnerability. Out-of-bounds access occurs when media file parsers fail to validate file structure boundaries before writing to memory buffers, allowing specially crafted media files to write data beyond allocated memory regions. This class of vulnerability is particularly concerning in media processing because media files contain complex nested structures (codecs, containers, metadata) that require extensive parsing. Apple's fix involves improved bounds checking, meaning additional validation logic to ensure array indices and buffer offsets remain within allocated memory regions during media file processing operations.
Affected Products
Affected products include Apple iOS versions prior to 18.6 (cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os), Apple iPadOS versions prior to 18.6 (cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados), Apple macOS Sequoia versions prior to 15.6 (cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos), Apple tvOS versions prior to 18.6 (cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos), and Apple visionOS versions prior to 2.6 (cpe:2.3:o:apple:visionos). All Apple ecosystem devices running these operating systems contain vulnerable media processing components. Vendor advisories available at https://support.apple.com/en-us/124147 (iOS/iPadOS), https://support.apple.com/en-us/124149 (macOS), https://support.apple.com/en-us/124153 (tvOS), and https://support.apple.com/en-us/124154 (visionOS).
Remediation
Vendor-released patches are available for all affected platforms. Users should immediately update to iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, or visionOS 2.6 through standard system update mechanisms (Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS, System Settings > General > Software Update on macOS). These updates include improved bounds checking logic that prevents out-of-bounds memory access during media file processing. Complete vendor security advisories with installation instructions are available at https://support.apple.com/en-us/124147, https://support.apple.com/en-us/124149, https://support.apple.com/en-us/124153, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/124154. No workarounds are provided; patching is the only complete mitigation. Until systems are updated, users should exercise caution when opening media files from untrusted sources, though this provides limited protection against determined social engineering attacks.
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