CVE-2025-43222
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 · uneditedA use-after-free issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in iPadOS 17.7.9, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7. An attacker may be able to cause 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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in Apple's iPadOS and macOS operating systems that allows an attacker to cause unexpected application termination. The vulnerability was addressed by removing the vulnerable code path.
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< 17.7.9< 13.7.7>= 14.0, < 14.7.7>= 15.0, < 15.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the operating systemDetermine if the device is running iPadOS or macOS. On iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the operating system name. On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the operating system.Affected if Device must be running Apple iPadOS or macOS to be affected by this CVE.
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Check iPadOS versionOn iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number (e.g., 17.7.8).Affected if User is affected if iPadOS version is less than 17.7.9.
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Check macOS versionOn Mac, click Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number (e.g., 14.7.6) and the marketing name (Ventura=13, Sonoma=14, Sequoia=15).Affected if User is affected if macOS version is less than 13.7.7 (Ventura), less than 14.7.7 (Sonoma), or less than 15.6 (Sequoia).
User is affected if their iPadOS version is below 17.7.9, or their macOS version is below 13.7.7, 14.7.7, or 15.6 depending on the macOS release.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped13.7.714.7.715.6
Apply the available security updates: iPadOS 17.7.9, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, or macOS Ventura 13.7.7 to all affected devices.
Upgrade to iPadOS 17.7.9, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, or macOS Sequoia 15.6 as appropriate for your device
- 1. Determine the current iPadOS or macOS version by going to Settings > General > About (iPadOS) or Apple menu > About This Mac (macOS)
- 2. Back up all important data before performing the update
- 3. For iPadOS: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iPadOS 17.7.9 or later
- 4. For macOS Ventura (13.x): Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.7.7
- 5. For macOS Sonoma (14.x): Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.7.7
- 6. For macOS Sequoia (15.x): Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.6
- 7. Restart the device if prompted and verify the update was successful
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43222 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-43222 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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