dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-24178

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.7.5 / 14.7.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, iPadOS 17.7.6, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, watchOS 11.4. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.

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 sandbox escape vulnerability in Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) allows a malicious or compromised application to break out of its sandbox isolation and gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability stems from improper state management in the affected OS components.

MitigationApply the available Apple security updates: iOS 18.4/iPadOS 18.4, iPadOS 17.7.6, macOS Sequoia 15.4/Sonoma 14.7.5/Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, and watchOS 11.4. Prioritize updates for externally-facing or high-risk devices given the critical CVSS score.

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:< 17.7.6>= 18.0, < 18.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 13.7.5>= 14.0, < 14.7.5>= 15.0, < 15.4
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 18.4

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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. Identify your Apple device type and operating system
    Determine whether the device runs iOS (iPhone), iPadOS (iPad), macOS (Mac computer), tvOS (Apple TV), or watchOS (Apple Watch). Each has separate version tracking.
    Affected if The device runs any of the listed Apple operating systems.
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version on mobile devices
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number. Compare against: iPadOS < 17.7.6, or >= 18.0 and < 18.4; iOS < 18.4.
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version falls below 17.7.6, or is 18.0 through 18.3.x.
  3. Check macOS version on Mac computers
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number. Compare against: macOS Ventura < 13.7.5, or >= 14.0 and < 14.7.5, or >= 15.0 and < 15.4.
    Affected if macOS version is 13.7.4 or lower; 14.0 through 14.7.4; or 15.0 through 15.3.x.
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the build number. Compare against: tvOS < 18.4.
    Affected if tvOS version is 18.3.x or lower.
  5. Assess application installation exposure
    Determine if the device allows installation of apps from untrusted or unknown developers (Settings > General > VPN & Device Management on iOS/iPadOS, or System Settings > Privacy & Security on macOS with unidentified developer apps allowed).
    Affected if The device permits installation of apps from untrusted sources, enabling the malicious app attack vector for sandbox escape.

A device is affected if it runs any Apple OS version within the ranges listed (iOS < 18.4 or 17.7.6, macOS < 13.7.5/14.7.5/15.4, tvOS < 18.4) and has the potential to run untrusted applications.

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 13.7.5 / 14.7.5 / 15.4 or later
Fixed in 13.7.514.7.515.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the available Apple security updates: iOS 18.4/iPadOS 18.4, iPadOS 17.7.6, macOS Sequoia 15.4/Sonoma 14.7.5/Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, and watchOS 11.4. Prioritize updates for externally-facing or high-risk devices given the critical CVSS score.

Recommended fix High confidence

iPadOS 17.7.6 or iPadOS 18.4 | iOS 18.4 | macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, or macOS Sequoia 15.4 | tvOS 18.4

  1. Before updating, back up your device data using iCloud or your computer
  2. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update
  3. On Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update
  4. On Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and enable 'Update Automatically' or select 'Update Now'
  5. After updating, verify the update was successful by checking Settings > General > About (or System Settings > About on Mac) to confirm the version number matches the fixed release for your device
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply; major version jumps (e.g., 13.x to 15.x) may introduce UI changes; always back up 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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2025-24178 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