dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-24118

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.7.3 / 15.3 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.

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

This is a memory handling vulnerability in Apple's kernel affecting iPadOS and macOS. A malicious local application can exploit improper memory handling to either cause an unexpected system termination (denial of service) or write to kernel memory (potential privilege escalation).

MitigationApply vendor security updates: iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 or later. Deploy via mobile device management (MDM) or software update mechanisms to ensure all managed devices receive the patch.

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:< 17.7.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 14.7.3>= 15.0, < 15.3

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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. Identify the operating system
    Determine if the device is running iPadOS or macOS. On iPad, go to Settings > General > About to see the system. On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac.
    Affected if The device runs either iPadOS or macOS
  2. Check iPadOS version
    On iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number (e.g., 17.7.2). Compare this to the affected range: any version lower than 17.7.4.
    Affected if iPadOS version is less than 17.7.4 (for example, 17.7.3, 17.7.2, or earlier)
  3. Check macOS version
    On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (e.g., 14.6.1 or 15.2). Compare against the affected ranges.
    Affected if macOS version is less than 14.7.3, OR version is 15.0, 15.1, or 15.2 (any version from 15.0 up to but not including 15.3)
  4. Confirm patch status via system update
    On iPad, go to Settings > General > Software Update. On Mac, go to System Settings > General > Software Update. Check if updates are available or if the system reports being up to date with a version meeting the fixed releases.
    Affected if Software Update shows available patches OR reports being up to date with a version still in the affected range

The environment is affected if the device runs iPadOS lower than 17.7.4, or macOS lower than 14.7.3, or any macOS version from 15.0 through 15.2.

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 14.7.3 / 15.3 / 17.7.4 or later
Fixed in 14.7.315.317.7.4
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor security updates: iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 or later. Deploy via mobile device management (MDM) or software update mechanisms to ensure all managed devices receive the patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

iPadOS 17.7.4 | macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 | macOS Sequoia 15.3

  1. For iPadOS users: Upgrade to iPadOS 17.7.4 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
  2. For macOS Sonoma (14.x) users: Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  3. For macOS Sequoia (15.x) users: Upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.3 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. After upgrading, verify the system is running the fixed version by checking About This Mac or iPad Settings
Caveat Standard minor version upgrade risks apply; backup important data before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,780
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,848.

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-2025-24118 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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