dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-31225

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.5 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
A privacy issue was addressed by removing sensitive data. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5. Call history from deleted apps may still appear in spotlight search results.

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 · moderate confidence

A privacy vulnerability in iOS allowed call history data from deleted applications to persist in the device's Spotlight search index, potentially exposing private communications even after the app was uninstalled. An attacker with physical or forensic access to an unlocked device could search Spotlight to discover which apps were previously installed and view associated call history.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to iOS 18.5 or iPadOS 18.5 which contains the fix. For enterprise environments, ensure patch deployment and consider clearing Spotlight search history on updated devices as a precaution.

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:< 18.5
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.5

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/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. Check the iOS or iPadOS version on the device
    Go to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Software Version' field. Alternatively, connect the device to a computer with iTunes or Finder and check the device summary page.
    Affected if The version shown is less than 18.5 (for example, 18.4.1, 18.3, 17.x, etc.)
  2. Determine if any third-party apps with call functionality were previously installed
    Review the device for any apps that provided calling or communication features. Check if any such apps have been deleted in the past, as the vulnerability affects data from uninstalled apps.
    Affected if The device runs iOS/iPadOS below version 18.5 and previously had any calling or communication apps installed that have since been removed
  3. Confirm Spotlight search indexing is enabled
    Go to Settings > Siri & Search > and verify that 'Show in Search' or 'Spotlight Suggestions' are enabled for any apps.
    Affected if Spotlight indexing is turned on and the device is on an affected iOS/iPadOS version below 18.5, indicating the vulnerability could apply

The device is affected if it is running any version of iOS or iPadOS earlier than 18.5 and had any communication or calling apps installed that were subsequently deleted, as the Spotlight index would retain call history from those removed 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 18.5 or later
Fixed in 18.5
Interim mitigation

Update affected devices to iOS 18.5 or iPadOS 18.5 which contains the fix. For enterprise environments, ensure patch deployment and consider clearing Spotlight search history on updated devices as a precaution.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5

  1. Back up your iPhone or iPad using iCloud or your computer to preserve data
  2. Ensure your device is connected to Wi-Fi and has at least 50% battery or is charging
  3. Open the Settings app on your device
  4. Tap General
  5. Tap Software Update
  6. Download and install iOS 18.5 (for iPhone) or iPadOS 18.5 (for iPad)
  7. After installation, consider clearing Spotlight search history by going to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri History and selecting Delete Siri & Dictation History to mitigate the residual issue where deleted app call history may still appear in search
Caveat Standard iOS upgrade risks apply - review app compatibility for older applications; ensure backup before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

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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-2025-31225 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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