dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-31262

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.3 / 11.3 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, watchOS 11.3. An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.

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

This is a local permission bypass vulnerability in Apple's operating systems that allows a malicious or compromised application to modify protected areas of the file system that should be restricted. The fix involves additional permission restrictions implemented in the specified OS versions.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, or watchOS 11.3 depending on the affected device.

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:< 18.3
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.3
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 15.3
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 18.3
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 2.3
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 11.3

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 your Apple device type
    Determine whether your device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, or Apple Watch. This is required because each device type runs a different OS and has separate version tracking.
    Affected if Device is any Apple product that runs iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS
  2. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Software Version'.
    Affected if Version is lower than 18.3 for iPhone or iPad
  3. Check the installed macOS version
    On Mac, click the Apple menu in the top-left corner, select 'About This Mac', and note the version number shown under the macOS name.
    Affected if Version is lower than 15.3 for Mac
  4. Check the installed tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Software Version'.
    Affected if Version is lower than 18.3 for Apple TV
  5. Check the installed visionOS version
    On Apple Vision Pro, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Software Version'.
    Affected if Version is lower than 2.3 for Apple Vision Pro
  6. Check the installed watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Software Version'. Alternatively, open the Watch app on iPhone and check the 'About' section for the watch.
    Affected if Version is lower than 11.3 for Apple Watch

You are affected if your device runs any of the following OS versions: iOS or iPadOS below 18.3, macOS below 15.3, tvOS below 18.3, visionOS below 2.3, or watchOS below 11.3.

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 2.3 / 11.3 / 15.3 or later
Fixed in 2.311.315.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, or watchOS 11.3 depending on the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.3 / iPadOS 18.3 / macOS Sequoia 15.3 / tvOS 18.3 / visionOS 2.3 / watchOS 11.3

  1. For iOS devices: Upgrade to iOS 18.3 via Settings > General > Software Update
  2. For iPadOS devices: Upgrade to iPadOS 18.3 via Settings > General > Software Update
  3. For Mac computers: Upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.3 via System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 18.3 via Settings > General > Software Update
  5. For Apple Vision Pro: Upgrade to visionOS 2.3 via Settings > General > Software Update
  6. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 11.3 via the Watch app on iPhone > General > Software Update
Caveat Standard OS upgrade considerations apply: ensure critical apps are compatible, back up device data before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-31262 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-31262 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