dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43224

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.6 / 15.6 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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 out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. 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 media file may lead to unexpected app termination or corrupt process memory.

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 out-of-bounds access vulnerability in Apple's media processing framework across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS. The vulnerability results from insufficient bounds checking when parsing media files, allowing a specially crafted media file to read or write beyond allocated memory boundaries. Successful exploitation can cause application crashes (denial of service) or corrupt process memory, potentially enabling further exploitation.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches by updating to iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, or visionOS 2.6. Avoid opening untrusted media files from unknown sources until systems are patched.

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Check iOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPhone or iPad. Note the software version number.
    Affected if The version is lower than 18.6
  2. Check iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPad. Note the software version number.
    Affected if The version is lower than 18.6
  3. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the macOS version (e.g., Sequoia 15.x).
    Affected if The version is lower than 15.6 (any Sequoia version below 15.6)
  4. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About TV > Version on Apple TV. Note the software version.
    Affected if The version is lower than 18.6
  5. Check visionOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the Vision Pro headset. Note the software version.
    Affected if The version is lower than 2.6
  6. Assess media file processing exposure
    Determine if the device routinely opens or processes media files from external sources, third-party apps, or untrusted downloads.
    Affected if The device processes media files from untrusted sources and the OS version is below the fixed release

The device is affected if it runs an OS version below 18.6 (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/visionOS) or below 15.6 (macOS) and processes media files.

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 vendor-supplied patches by updating to iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, tvOS 18.6, or visionOS 2.6. Avoid opening untrusted media files from unknown sources until systems are patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.6 / iPadOS 18.6 / macOS Sequoia 15.6 / tvOS 18.6 / visionOS 2.6 (depending on device)

  1. Identify the affected Apple device from the list: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Vision Pro
  2. Determine the current installed version of the operating system (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or visionOS)
  3. If the current version is below the fixed release, initiate the update process
  4. On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 18.6 / iPadOS 18.6
  5. On Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sequoia 15.6
  6. On Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 18.6
  7. On Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install visionOS 2.6
  8. After updating, verify the new OS version is installed successfully
Caveat Point releases typically have minimal breaking changes; however, review Apple's release notes for any app compatibility notes before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
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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-2025-43224 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