EUVD-2025-209198
GHSA-cr3p-mjqh-499p
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
3Tags
Description
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.6. Processing a maliciously crafted image may corrupt process memory.
Analysis
Memory corruption in macOS Sequoia's image processing subsystem allows unauthenticated remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code when a user opens a specially crafted image file. Apple has patched this buffer overflow vulnerability in macOS 15.6. With a CVSS score of 8.8 and requiring only user interaction, this represents a significant attack surface for social engineering campaigns. EPSS data not available, but no public exploit or active exploitation confirmed at time of analysis. The SSVC framework rates this as total technical impact, reinforcing the criticality of applying the vendor patch.
Technical Context
This vulnerability stems from improper memory handling (CWE-119: Improper Restriction on Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) in macOS Sequoia's image processing engine. Buffer overflow vulnerabilities occur when software writes data beyond allocated memory boundaries, allowing attackers to corrupt adjacent memory regions. In image processing contexts, these flaws typically reside in parsers for complex file formats (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, HEIC) where malformed metadata, dimensions, or compressed data streams can trigger out-of-bounds writes. The affected component is the macOS core operating system (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:apple:macos), specifically versions prior to 15.6. Apple's acknowledgment that the fix involved 'improved memory handling' suggests enhanced bounds checking, input validation, or memory allocation mechanisms were implemented to prevent the overflow condition.
Affected Products
Apple macOS Sequoia versions prior to 15.6 are vulnerable (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*). The EUVD records affected version range as macOS 0 through versions before 15.6, encompassing all prior releases of macOS Sequoia that lack the memory handling improvements introduced in the patched release. Users running macOS Sequoia 15.5.x and earlier should apply the update immediately. The vulnerability is specific to the macOS operating system and does not appear to affect other Apple platforms based on available advisory data. Vendor advisory with complete affected version details is available at https://support.apple.com/en-us/124149.
Remediation
Vendor-released patch: macOS Sequoia 15.6. Users should immediately update to macOS 15.6 through System Settings > General > Software Update or via Apple's enterprise deployment tools. Apple's security update documentation at https://support.apple.com/en-us/124149 provides complete installation guidance and includes this fix among other security improvements in the 15.6 release. No workarounds are documented; patching is the only confirmed mitigation. Organizations unable to immediately deploy the update should implement defense-in-depth controls including restricting users from opening images from untrusted sources, enforcing email attachment filtering for uncommon image formats, and deploying endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying memory corruption exploitation attempts. For enterprise environments, test the macOS 15.6 update in staging before production deployment to ensure application compatibility, particularly for systems running custom image processing workflows or specialized graphics software.
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