dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2025-43386

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 26.1 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1. 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 · high confidence

An out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability in Apple's media file processing components allows a specially crafted media file to trigger either denial of service (unexpected app termination) or memory corruption. The vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking during media parsing, and was addressed by implementing proper boundary validation in the affected updates.

MitigationApply the available security updates to all affected Apple devices: iOS 18.7.2/26.1, iPadOS 18.7.2/26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1. Prioritize updating devices that process untrusted media files.

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
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
VisionosOperating 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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Apple device type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Vision headset. This determines which OS version to check.
    Affected if Device is an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Vision running an affected OS
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device and note the Version number. Compare against the affected range: versions lower than 26.1 are vulnerable.
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is below 26.1 and the device processes media files
  3. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TV. Compare the version number against the affected range: versions lower than 26.1 are vulnerable.
    Affected if tvOS version is below 26.1 and the device processes media files
  4. Check visionOS version on Apple Vision
    Go to Settings > General > About on Apple Vision. Compare the version number against the affected range: versions lower than 26.1 are vulnerable.
    Affected if visionOS version is below 26.1 and the device processes media files
  5. Assess media processing exposure
    Determine if the device regularly opens or processes media files from untrusted sources such as email attachments, web downloads, or third-party apps.
    Affected if Device runs a vulnerable OS version AND processes media files from untrusted sources

A defender is affected if their iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Vision device runs an OS version below 26.1 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 26.1 or later
Fixed in 26.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates to all affected Apple devices: iOS 18.7.2/26.1, iPadOS 18.7.2/26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1. Prioritize updating devices that process untrusted media files.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.7.2/iPadOS 18.7.2 or iOS 26.1/iPadOS 26.1 for iPhone/iPad; tvOS 26.1 for Apple TV; visionOS 26.1 for Vision Pro

  1. Identify the affected device (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Vision Pro)
  2. Check the current iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/visionOS version in Settings > General > About
  3. For iPhone/iPad: If the device supports iOS 26, upgrade to iOS 26.1 or iPadOS 26.1; otherwise, upgrade to iOS 18.7.2 or iPadOS 18.7.2
  4. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 26.1
  5. For Vision Pro: Upgrade to visionOS 26.1
  6. Back up the device before upgrading using iCloud or computer backup
  7. Connect device to Wi-Fi and power, then go to Settings > General > Software Update
  8. Download and install the update
Caveat iOS 26 requires newer hardware; devices not supporting iOS 26 should use iOS 18.7.2

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-2025-43386 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