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IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2024-54525

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.2 / 11.2 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A logic issue was addressed with improved file handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, watchOS 11.2. Restoring a maliciously crafted backup file may lead to modification of protected system files.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A logic flaw in Apple's backup restoration mechanism allows a maliciously crafted backup file to bypass file protection checks and overwrite protected system files. This could enable privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution by modifying system-level components during the restore process.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches: iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, or watchOS 11.2. Avoid restoring untrusted backup files until systems are updated.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 18.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 15.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 18.2
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 2.2
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 11.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version number. Alternatively, connect to a computer with iTunes/Finder and check the device summary page.
    Affected if The version is earlier than 18.2 (iOS) or 18.2 (iPadOS)
  2. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number displayed under the macOS name.
    Affected if The version is earlier than 15.2 (Sequoia)
  3. Check tvOS or visionOS version
    On Apple TV: go to Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Vision: go to Settings > About > Version Number.
    Affected if The tvOS version is earlier than 18.2 or visionOS version is earlier than 2.2
  4. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, and note the watchOS version.
    Affected if The version is earlier than 11.2
  5. Review backup restore configuration
    On iOS/iPadOS: go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad > Reset > Reset All Settings (or check Settings > iCloud > Backup for backup-related settings). On macOS: check System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset. Look for any settings that allow restoring from untrusted or third-party backup sources.
    Affected if Untrusted or third-party backup restoration options are enabled

The device is affected if it runs any version of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS older than 18.2, 18.2, 15.2, 18.2, 2.2, or 11.2 respectively, AND has backup restoration from untrusted sources enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.2 / 11.2 / 15.2 or later
Fixed in 2.211.215.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches: iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, or watchOS 11.2. Avoid restoring untrusted backup files until systems are updated.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, watchOS 11.2 (specific to each device type)

  1. Check current OS version: On iPhone/iPad go to Settings > General > About; on Mac go to Apple menu > About This Mac; on Apple Watch go to Settings > General > About; on Apple TV go to Settings > General > About; on Apple Vision go to Settings > General > About
  2. Create a backup of your device data before updating using iCloud or Finder/iTunes (for iPhone/iPad) or Time Machine (for Mac)
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 18.2 or iPadOS 18.2
  4. For Mac: Go to Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sequoia 15.2
  5. For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 11.2
  6. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install tvOS 18.2
  7. For Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install visionOS 2.2
  8. Verify the update was successful by checking the About section confirms the new version number
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - review iOS 18.2/macOS 15.2 release notes for app compatibility issues and new feature changes before updating

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,640
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-54525 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data