CVE-2025-24127
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Apple operating systems allows an attacker to cause unexpected app termination (denial of service) by tricking a user into opening a maliciously crafted file. It affects multiple Apple platforms including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and tvOS. The impact is limited to application crashes rather than code execution.
💻 Affected Systems
- iOS
- iPadOS
- macOS
- visionOS
- tvOS
📦 What is this software?
Ipados by Apple
Ipados by Apple
Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →Tvos by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Critical applications could be repeatedly crashed, causing service disruption or data loss if unsaved work is lost during termination.
Likely Case
Individual applications crash when processing malicious files, requiring restart but no persistent damage.
If Mitigated
With proper patching, no impact occurs as the vulnerability is fully addressed in updated versions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file). No authentication bypass needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, visionOS 2.3, iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, tvOS 18.3
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122066
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/visionOS. 2. Go to System Settings > General > Software Update on macOS. 3. Download and install the latest update. 4. Restart device when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Avoid Unknown Files
allDo not open files from untrusted sources or unknown senders.
Application Sandboxing
allUse applications with sandboxing enabled to limit potential impact.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to restrict which applications can open files.
- Use network filtering to block downloads of suspicious file types from untrusted sources.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check current OS version against affected versions list. On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version. On macOS: Apple menu > About This Mac > macOS version.Check Version:
iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/visionOS: Settings > General > About; macOS: sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify OS version matches or exceeds patched versions listed in fix_official.patch_version.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crash logs showing unexpected termination
- Console logs with 'Terminated due to memory issue' or similar
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of unusual file types from untrusted sources
SIEM Query:
source="apple_system_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="terminated") AND process_name IN ["affected_apps"]🔗 References
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122066
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122067
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122068
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122069
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122070
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122072
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122073
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jan/12
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jan/14
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jan/15
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jan/16
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jan/17
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jan/19
