CVE-2025-43534
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 · uneditedA path handling issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7, iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. A user with physical access to an iOS device may be able to bypass Activation Lock.
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 confidenceThis is a path handling validation vulnerability in iOS/iPadOS that allows a user with physical access to bypass Activation Lock, a security feature designed to prevent unauthorized use of a lost or stolen device. The fix involves improved path validation to prevent the bypass mechanism.
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< 18.7.7>= 26.0, < 26.2< 18.7.7>= 26.0, < 26.2CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS/iPadOS version on the deviceGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the iOS/iPadOS device, or connect the device to Finder/iTunes or Apple Configurator to view the software versionAffected if The displayed version is below 18.7.7 OR is 26.0, 26.1, or 26.1.x
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Confirm the device has Activation Lock enabledGo to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone/iPad and verify that Activation Lock is turned onAffected if Activation Lock is enabled and the device is running a vulnerable iOS/iPadOS version from step 1
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Determine if device is vulnerable to physical access bypassThis vulnerability requires physical access to the device. If an attacker has physical access and the device runs a vulnerable version with Activation Lock enabled, the bypass mechanism may be exploitableAffected if The device meets both conditions: vulnerable iOS/iPadOS version AND Activation Lock is active
A device is affected if it runs iOS/iPadOS version 18.7.6 or earlier, or version 26.0 through 26.1.x, and has Activation Lock enabled.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped18.7.726.2
Update affected iOS devices to iOS 18.7.7/iPadOS 18.7.7 or iOS 26.2/iPadOS 26.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
iOS 18.7.7/iPadOS 18.7.7 or iOS 26.2/iPadOS 26.2
- Back up your iPhone or iPad before performing the update
- For iPhone users: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 18.7.7 or later
- For iPad users: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 18.7.7 or later
- Alternatively, if running iOS/iPadOS 26.x, update to iOS 26.2/iPadOS 26.2 or later
- Verify the update was successful by checking Settings > General > About > Version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43534 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-43534 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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