dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2025-43457

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 26.1 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in Safari 26.1, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash.

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 use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit allows remote attackers to crash Safari or potentially execute arbitrary code via malicious web content. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management where memory is accessed after being freed, leading to undefined behavior.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided updates (Safari 26.1, iOS/iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1) to all affected devices. Until patched, avoid 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
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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 your Safari version on macOS
    Open Safari, click Safari menu, select About Safari. Compare the version number to 26.1.
    Affected if The displayed version is less than 26.1 (for example, 26.0, 25.x, or earlier).
  2. Identify your iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on your iPhone or iPad. Note the Version number.
    Affected if The version is less than 26.1 (for example, 25.4, 25.3, or earlier).
  3. Identify your visionOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on your Apple Vision Pro headset. Note the Version number.
    Affected if The version is less than 26.1.
  4. Identify your watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on your paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About. Note the watchOS version.
    Affected if The version is less than 26.1.
  5. Confirm WebKit is in use
    The vulnerability exists in the WebKit rendering engine which powers Safari on all affected platforms. If Safari (or any WebKit-based browser) is actively used, WebKit is in use.
    Affected if You use Safari or any WebKit-based browser on an affected device.

You are affected if any of your Apple device operating systems (Safari, iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, or watchOS) have a version number lower than 26.1.

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 vendor-provided updates (Safari 26.1, iOS/iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1) to all affected devices. Until patched, avoid untrusted websites.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Safari 26.1, iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, or watchOS 26.1 depending on the affected device

  1. For iOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to iOS 26.1 or later
  2. For iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to iPadOS 26.1 or later
  3. For macOS devices: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and update to macOS Tahoe 26.1 or later
  4. For visionOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to visionOS 26.1 or later
  5. For Apple Watch devices: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and update to watchOS 26.1 or later
  6. For Safari on older macOS: Update Safari through the Mac App Store or system software update to version 26.1 or later

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-43457 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