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IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-31281

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.6 / 15.6 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
An input validation issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6. Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination.

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 an Apple input validation vulnerability affecting iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, and visionOS 2.6. The flaw exists in how these operating systems handle memory when processing maliciously crafted files, leading to memory corruption that causes unexpected app termination. The high CVSS score (9.1) suggests potential for more severe impact beyond simple denial of service.

MitigationApply the available vendor patches (iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6) to all affected devices. Until patched, avoid opening files from untrusted sources.

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:< 18.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.6
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 15.6
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 18.6
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 2.6

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 device and operating system
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Vision. Note that this vulnerability affects all these Apple device types.
    Affected if Device runs an affected Apple OS (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or visionOS)
  2. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad: go to Settings > General > About. Note the version number. Compare to the affected range: versions below 18.6 are vulnerable.
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is below 18.6
  3. Check the installed macOS version
    On Mac: click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number. Compare to the affected range: versions below 15.6 (Sequoia) are vulnerable.
    Affected if macOS version is below 15.6
  4. Check the installed tvOS or visionOS version
    On Apple TV: go to Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Vision: go to Settings > General > About > Software Version. Compare to affected ranges: tvOS below 18.6, visionOS below 2.6.
    Affected if tvOS version is below 18.6 OR visionOS version is below 2.6

The environment is affected if any Apple device runs an OS version below the patched release (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS 18.6, macOS 15.6, visionOS 2.6) and processes a maliciously crafted file.

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 2.6 / 15.6 / 18.6 or later
Fixed in 2.615.618.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the available vendor patches (iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6) to all affected devices. Until patched, avoid opening files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.6 / iPadOS 18.6 / macOS Sequoia 15.6 / tvOS 18.6 / visionOS 2.6

  1. For iPhone and iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 18.6 or iPadOS 18.6
  2. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sequoia 15.6
  3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > Apple TV Software Update and install tvOS 18.6
  4. For Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install visionOS 2.6
  5. After updating, verify the version by checking Settings > General > About on each device
Caveat Standard Apple OS updates may include new features; review release notes for any behavior changes

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2025-31281 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