dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43282

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.6 / 11.6 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
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
A double free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, iPadOS 17.7.9, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6. An app may be able to cause unexpected system 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 · high confidence

A double free vulnerability in Apple's core operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS) allows a malicious application to trigger unexpected system termination by freeing the same memory pointer twice. This memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory management controls.

MitigationApply the available security updates (iOS 18.6, iPadOS 17.7.9/18.6, macOS 13.7.7/14.7.7/15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6) to all affected Apple devices. No user-level workaround exists; patching is required to prevent exploitation.

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:< 17.7.9>= 18.0, < 18.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.6
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 13.0, < 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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 Apple operating system
    Determine which Apple OS is running on the device (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS). On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About. On macOS: Apple menu > About This Mac. On tvOS/visionOS/watchOS: Settings > General > About.
    Affected if The device runs any of the affected Apple operating systems
  2. Check iOS version
    On iPhone: Settings > General > About > Version. On iPad: Same path. Note the build number as well.
    Affected if iOS version is less than 18.6, or is 17.x and less than 17.7.9
  3. Check iPadOS version
    On iPad: Settings > General > About > Version. Note both the version number and build number.
    Affected if iPadOS version is less than 17.7.9; or is 18.x and less than 18.6
  4. Check macOS version
    On Mac: Apple menu > About This Mac > Version. Note the version number (e.g., 13.5, 14.4, 15.0).
    Affected if macOS version is 13.0 to 13.7.6, 14.0 to 14.7.6, or 15.0 to 15.5 (any version below 13.7.7, 14.7.7, or 15.6 respectively)
  5. Check tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS version
    On Apple TV: Settings > General > About > Version. On Vision Pro: Settings > General > About. On Apple Watch: Settings > General > About.
    Affected if tvOS is below 18.6; visionOS is below 2.6; watchOS is below 11.6
  6. Confirm vulnerability condition
    No additional configuration or feature check is required. The double free vulnerability exists in the core OS memory management of any unpatched system within the affected version ranges.
    Affected if The installed OS version falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges for the respective Apple platform

A device is affected if it runs any version of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS that is lower than the patched versions (iOS 18.6, iPadOS 17.7.9/18.6, macOS 13.7.7/14.7.7/15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6).

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 the available security updates (iOS 18.6, iPadOS 17.7.9/18.6, macOS 13.7.7/14.7.7/15.6, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6) to all affected Apple devices. No user-level workaround exists; patching is required to prevent exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.6 / iPadOS 17.7.9 or 18.6 / macOS 13.7.7/14.7.7/15.6 / tvOS 18.6 / visionOS 2.6 / watchOS 11.6

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, or Apple Watch) from the affected system
  2. For iPhone: Upgrade to iOS 18.6
  3. For iPad: Upgrade to iPadOS 17.7.9 (if on iPadOS 17.x) or iPadOS 18.6 (if on iOS 18.x)
  4. For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.7.7, Sonoma 14.7.7, or Sequoia 15.6 depending on current macOS version
  5. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 18.6
  6. For Apple Vision Pro: Upgrade to visionOS 2.6
  7. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 11.6
  8. On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update to download and install the update
Caveat Standard Apple OS upgrades typically preserve data but may have app compatibility considerations; ensure backups exist before upgrading

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2025-43282 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