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IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-30438

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.4 / 11.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
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
This issue was addressed with improved access restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4, watchOS 11.4. A malicious app may be able to dismiss the system notification on the Lock Screen that a recording was started.

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 malicious application can bypass access controls to dismiss the Lock Screen system notification that alerts users when a recording (camera/microphone) has started. This allows surreptitious recording without the visual indicator that would normally inform the user.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4, or watchOS 11.4 as appropriate.

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:< 18.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 13.0, < 13.7.5>= 14.0, < 14.7.5>= 15.0, < 15.4
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 18.4
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 2.4
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 11.4

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

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

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 device OS and version
    On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version. On macOS: Apple menu > About This Mac > Version. On tvOS/visionOS/watchOS: Settings > General > About > Version.
    Affected if The installed version is below the fixed releases (iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, tvOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4, watchOS 11.4, or macOS 13.7.5/14.7.5/15.4)
  2. Confirm macOS version if applicable
    On macOS, run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or check System Settings > General > About to get the exact build version.
    Affected if macOS version is 13.0 to 13.7.4, 14.0 to 14.7.4, or 15.0 to 15.3.x

If the device runs any affected OS version (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/visionOS/watchOS below 18.4/2.4/11.4 or macOS below 13.7.5/14.7.5/15.4), the Lock Screen recording notification can be suppressed by a malicious app.

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 2.4 / 11.4 / 13.7.5 or later
Fixed in 2.411.413.7.5
Interim mitigation

Update affected devices to iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, tvOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4, or watchOS 11.4 as appropriate.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.4 / iPadOS 18.4 / tvOS 18.4 / watchOS 11.4 / visionOS 2.4 / macOS Ventura 13.7.5 / macOS Sonoma 14.7.5 / macOS Sequoia 15.4

  1. Back up your device data before performing the update
  2. Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Vision Pro
  3. For Mac, navigate to System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. Download and install the appropriate security update for your device

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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-2025-30438 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