dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2025-43431

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 26.1 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in Safari 26.1, 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, watchOS 26.1. Processing maliciously crafted web content 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 confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in WebKit affecting Safari and all Apple platform browsers. Processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution due to improper memory handling. Affects Safari 26.1 prior versions, iOS/iPadOS 18.7.1 and prior, and macOS Tahoe prior versions.

MitigationUpdate all affected Apple devices to the patched versions: Safari 26.1, iOS/iPadOS 18.7.2 or 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, or watchOS 26.1. Until patched, restrict access to untrusted websites.

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
SafariWeb browser
Affected:< 26.1
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 26.1
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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 Safari version on macOS
    Open Safari, go to Safari menu > About Safari, or run 'defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString' in Terminal
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1
  2. Identify iOS/iPadOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About and check the Software Version field
    Affected if Version is less than 18.7.2 (the patched iOS version) or the Safari component version is less than 26.1
  3. Identify tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV device
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1
  4. Identify visionOS version on Apple Vision Pro
    Go to Settings > General > About on the Vision Pro device
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1
  5. Identify watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, or check Settings > General > About on the watch itself
    Affected if Version is less than 26.1

The user is affected if any Safari or Apple OS version (iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS) is below 26.1 (or iOS/iPadOS below 18.7.2), as the WebKit vulnerability can be triggered when processing malicious web content in any browser using the WebKit engine.

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

Update all affected Apple devices to the patched versions: Safari 26.1, iOS/iPadOS 18.7.2 or 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, or watchOS 26.1. Until patched, restrict access to untrusted websites.

Recommended fix High confidence

Safari 26.1, iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2 (or iOS 26.1/iPadOS 26.1 for future versions), tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1

  1. Open Settings on the iOS/iPadOS device, or System Settings on macOS/tvOS/watchOS/visionOS
  2. Navigate to General > Software Update (or App Store > Updates on iOS/iPadOS)
  3. Ensure automatic updates are enabled or manually check for updates
  4. Download and install the latest available security update for your device
  5. After updating, verify the version in Settings > General > About to confirm the fix is applied
  6. For Safari, ensure the browser is updated via the iOS/iPadOS update or macOS software update
Caveat Standard minor OS update risks - ensure backups before updating; some older devices may not support the latest OS versions

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

Fix this in Safari 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

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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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-2025-43431 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