dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43361

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.8.2 / 15.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, watchOS 26. A malicious app may be able to read kernel 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 · high confidence

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Apple's kernel allows a maliciously crafted application to read kernel memory due to insufficient bounds checking. This constitutes a memory disclosure vulnerability that could expose sensitive kernel data.

MitigationUpdate all affected Apple devices to iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, or watchOS 26. As a defense-in-depth measure, restrict app installations to the App Store only until patches are applied.

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:< 26.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 14.8.2>= 15.0, < 15.7.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 the device type and current OS version
    On iPhone/iPad: Settings > General > About > Software Version. On Mac: Apple menu > About This Mac > macOS version. On Apple TV: Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Watch: Settings > General > About > Watch OS. On Vision Pro: Settings > General > About > visionOS.
    Affected if The device runs an affected OS version (iOS/iPadOS < 26.1, macOS < 14.8.2 or >= 15.0 and < 15.7.2, tvOS < 26.1, watchOS < 26.1, visionOS < 26.1)
  2. Confirm the vulnerability applies to your device
    This is a kernel-level vulnerability present in all Apple devices running the affected OS versions. The flaw is triggered by a maliciously crafted application.
    Affected if The device runs a kernel version matching the affected OS ranges listed above
  3. Verify if third-party app installation is allowed
    On iPhone/iPad: Settings > VPN & Device Management (or General > Device Management). On Mac: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Security. Check if 'Allow apps downloaded from: App Store' is the only setting enabled.
    Affected if This check helps determine exposure vector; devices with App Store-only restrictions have lower attack surface, but the vulnerability still exists in the kernel regardless of app source restrictions

You are affected if your Apple device runs any OS version lower than 26.1 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS/visionOS, or lower than 14.8.2 / between 15.0-15.7.2 for macOS.

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 14.8.2 / 15.7.2 / 26.1 or later
Fixed in 14.8.215.7.226.1
Interim mitigation

Update all affected Apple devices to iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, or watchOS 26. As a defense-in-depth measure, restrict app installations to the App Store only until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 26.1+, iPadOS 26.1+, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2+, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2+, macOS Tahoe 26+, tvOS 26+, visionOS 26+, watchOS 26+

  1. Back up your device data before upgrading
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 26.1 or later / iPadOS 26.1 or later
  3. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sonoma 14.8.2 or later, or macOS Sequoia 15.7.2 or later
  4. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 26 or later
  5. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install watchOS 26 or later
  6. For Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install visionOS 26 or later
  7. Verify the update was successful by checking the software version after updating
Caveat Major version upgrades may not be supported on older hardware; some legacy apps may be incompatible with new OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

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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-2025-43361 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