dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43186

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.6 / 11.6 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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6. Parsing a file may lead to an 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

A memory handling vulnerability in file parsing components allows remote code execution or denial of service via a specially crafted file. The issue affects iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. CVSS 9.8 indicates likely remote code execution capability, not merely app termination.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied updates: iOS 18.6/iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6/Sonoma 14.7.7/Ventura 13.7.7, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, or watchOS 11.6 depending on device type.

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:< 13.7.7>= 14.0, < 14.7.7>= 15.0, < 15.6
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 18.6
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 2.6
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 11.6

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
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 and operating system
    Determine whether the device runs iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS. On iPhone/iPad, go to Settings > General > About. On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac. On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About. On Vision Pro, go to Settings > General > About. On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on paired iPhone and go to My Watch > General > About.
    Affected if Any Apple device running one of the listed operating systems is a potential target.
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, open Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to "Version" (for example, 18.5 or 18.6).
    Affected if The device is affected if iOS is below 18.6 or iPadOS is below 18.6.
  3. Check macOS version
    On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (for example, 13.6, 14.6, or 15.5). Also note the build number if visible.
    Affected if The Mac is affected if running macOS Ventura below 13.7.7, macOS Sonoma below 14.7.7, or macOS Sequoia below 15.6.
  4. Check tvOS or visionOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version. On Vision Pro, go to Settings > General > About and note the version.
    Affected if The device is affected if tvOS is below 18.6 or visionOS is below 2.6.
  5. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, tap My Watch > General > About, and note the watchOS version number.
    Affected if The Apple Watch is affected if watchOS is below 11.6.

If the operating system version on any Apple device falls below the thresholds listed (iOS/iPadOS 18.6, macOS 13.7.7/14.7.7/15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, or watchOS 11.6), the device is vulnerable to remote code execution via specially crafted file parsing.

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 / 11.6 / 13.7.7 or later
Fixed in 2.611.613.7.7
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied updates: iOS 18.6/iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6/Sonoma 14.7.7/Ventura 13.7.7, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, or watchOS 11.6 depending on device type.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6

  1. Upgrade iPadOS to version 18.6 or later
  2. Upgrade iPhone OS (iOS) to version 18.6 or later
  3. Upgrade macOS Ventura to version 13.7.7 or later
  4. Upgrade macOS Sonoma to version 14.7.7 or later
  5. Upgrade macOS Sequoia to version 15.6 or later
  6. Upgrade tvOS to version 18.6 or later
  7. Upgrade visionOS to version 2.6 or later
  8. Upgrade watchOS to version 11.6 or later

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-2025-43186 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