CVE-2025-24089
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a permissions vulnerability in iOS/iPadOS that allows malicious apps to enumerate which other apps are installed on a user's device. This affects users running iOS/iPadOS versions before 18.3. The vulnerability exposes potentially sensitive information about a user's app ecosystem.
💻 Affected Systems
- iOS
- iPadOS
📦 What is this software?
Ipados by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could profile a user's interests, habits, or vulnerabilities by knowing which apps they have installed, potentially enabling targeted social engineering, credential theft, or exploitation of known app-specific vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
Malicious apps in the App Store or sideloaded apps could collect information about installed apps for advertising profiling, competitive intelligence, or to identify potential attack vectors against specific apps.
If Mitigated
With proper app review processes and user caution about app permissions, the impact is limited to information disclosure about installed apps without direct access to app data.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires a malicious app to be installed on the target device. The technical complexity appears low based on the description, but no public exploit details are available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122066
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Settings app. 2. Tap General. 3. Tap Software Update. 4. Download and install iOS 18.3 or iPadOS 18.3. 5. Device will restart automatically after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict App Installation Sources
allOnly install apps from the official App Store and avoid sideloading apps from untrusted sources.
Review App Permissions
allRegularly review and restrict app permissions in Settings > Privacy & Security.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Avoid installing new apps from untrusted sources
- Use device management/MDM solutions to restrict app installation if available
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check iOS/iPadOS version in Settings > General > About > Software Version. If version is earlier than 18.3, the device is vulnerable.Check Version:
Not applicable - check via device Settings interfaceVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the Software Version shows 18.3 or later in Settings > General > About.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual app permission requests in system logs
- Multiple app enumeration attempts from single app
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Not applicable for typical enterprise SIEM systems as this is a mobile device vulnerability