CVE-2025-43277
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 · uneditedThe 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 14.8, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6. Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may lead to memory corruption.
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 · high confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability exists in Apple's audio processing subsystem across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Processing a maliciously crafted audio file triggers improper memory handling, leading to potential code execution. This is a client-side vulnerability requiring user interaction (opening the file) but with low attack complexity.
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< 14.8CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Check the installed macOS versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version returned is 14.7.x or earlier (any version below 14.8)
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Confirm the macOS release nameRun: sw_vers -productVersion and compare the major.minor version to 14.8. macOS 14.x corresponds to Sonoma.Affected if Running macOS Sonoma 14.0 through 14.7, or any earlier macOS release
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Verify audio processing capability existsThis vulnerability affects the core audio processing subsystem present in all standard macOS installations. No additional feature check is needed as audio file handling is built-in.Affected if The system has the ability to open or process audio files (default behavior for macOS)
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Identify if user interaction with untrusted files is possibleCheck if users on this system could potentially open audio files from external sources (email attachments, downloaded files, removable media).Affected if Users can open audio files on this system (standard user behavior)
If the system is running any version of macOS earlier than 14.8 (including macOS 14.7.x or earlier), the environment is vulnerable to this memory corruption flaw when processing malicious audio files.
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 · scoped14.8
Apply the vendor-supplied security updates (iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.8, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6) to all affected devices. Until patched, avoid opening audio files from untrusted or unknown sources.
macOS Sonoma 14.8 or macOS Sequoia 15.6
- Check current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
- Backup important data using Time Machine or other backup solution
- Open System Settings > General > Software Update
- Install macOS Sonoma 14.8 or later update, or upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.6
- Restart the system when prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43277 — 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-2025-43277 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
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