CVE-2025-31200 – This is a critical memory corruption vulnerabil... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-31200?

CVE-2025-31200 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). This is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Apple's media processing that allows remote code execution via malicious audio streams. Attackers can exploit it by tricking users into opening crafted media files, potentially taking full control of affected devices. All users of unpatched Apple operating systems are at risk, with evidence of sophisticated targeted exploitation.

📋 TL;DR

This is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Apple's media processing that allows remote code execution via malicious audio streams. Attackers can exploit it by tricking users into opening crafted media files, potentially taking full control of affected devices. All users of unpatched Apple operating systems are at risk, with evidence of sophisticated targeted exploitation.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

tvOS
visionOS
iOS
iPadOS
macOS Sequoia

Versions: Versions prior to tvOS 18.4.1, visionOS 2.4.1, iOS 18.4.1, iPadOS 18.4.1, macOS Sequoia 15.4.1

Operating Systems: Apple tvOS, Apple visionOS, Apple iOS, Apple iPadOS, Apple macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default configurations are vulnerable. Exploitation requires processing malicious audio streams, typically via media files or streaming content.

📦 What is this software?

Ipados by Apple

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Iphone Os by Apple

View all CVEs affecting Iphone Os →

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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise with attacker gaining root privileges, persistent access, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within networks.

🟠

Likely Case

Targeted attacks against high-value individuals resulting in data theft, surveillance, or credential harvesting.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper network segmentation, application whitelisting, and user education preventing malicious file execution.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: CONFIRMED

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Apple confirms sophisticated targeted exploitation in the wild. No public exploit code available but threat actors have working exploits.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: tvOS 18.4.1, visionOS 2.4.1, iOS 18.4.1, iPadOS 18.4.1, macOS Sequoia 15.4.1

Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122282

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Settings app. 2. Navigate to General > Software Update. 3. Download and install the latest update. 4. Restart device when prompted.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable automatic media processing

all

Prevent automatic processing of media files in web browsers and applications

Application sandboxing enforcement

macOS

Ensure all media applications run with minimal privileges using macOS sandbox profiles

sudo sandbox-exec -n no-network -p '(version 1)(allow default)(deny network*)' /Applications/AppName.app/Contents/MacOS/AppName

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network filtering to block suspicious media file downloads
Deploy endpoint detection with behavioral analysis for memory corruption attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check system version against affected versions list. On macOS: System Settings > General > About. On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About.

Check Version:

macOS: sw_vers -productVersion. iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version. tvOS: Settings > General > About > Version.

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify system version matches or exceeds patched versions: tvOS 18.4.1, visionOS 2.4.1, iOS 18.4.1, iPadOS 18.4.1, macOS Sequoia 15.4.1

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected process crashes in media-related applications
Memory access violations in system logs
Suspicious file type conversions

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from media applications
Downloads of media files from untrusted sources
HTTP requests for audio streams with malformed headers

SIEM Query:

source="apple_system_logs" AND (process="mediaserverd" OR process="CoreMedia" OR process="AVFoundation") AND (event="segmentation_fault" OR event="memory_access_violation")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-31200

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

EPSS Score: 1.73% exploit probability (82.1th percentile)

CISA KEV: Actively Exploited added Apr 17, 2025

Published: April 16, 2025

Last Updated: November 25, 2025

🔗 References

https://support.apple.com/en-us/122282 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/122400 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/122401 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/122402 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Apr/26 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jun/14 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/May/10 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Oct/0 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Oct/4 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://blog.noahhw.dev/posts/cve-2025-31200/ Broken Link,Exploit
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44161894 Issue Tracking
https://github.com/JGoyd/iOS-Attack-Chain-CVE-2025-31200-CVE-2025-31201/blob/main/Remote%20Crypto%20Attack%20Chain%20.md Exploit
https://github.com/cisagov/vulnrichment/issues/200 Issue Tracking
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-31200 US Government Resource

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