CVE-2025-31209
📋 TL;DR
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Apple operating systems allows attackers to disclose user information by parsing malicious files. This affects users running vulnerable versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS. The vulnerability could expose sensitive data from affected devices.
💻 Affected Systems
- iOS
- iPadOS
- macOS
- tvOS
- watchOS
- visionOS
📦 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
Watchos by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete disclosure of sensitive user data including personal information, authentication tokens, or device identifiers.
Likely Case
Limited information disclosure of file contents or memory data from the parsing process.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or if malicious files are blocked from reaching vulnerable systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to parse a malicious file. No public exploit code is known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: watchOS 11.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.6, tvOS 18.5, iPadOS 17.7.7, iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, macOS Sequoia 15.5, visionOS 2.5, macOS Ventura 13.7.6
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122404
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Settings app. 2. Navigate to General > Software Update. 3. Download and install the latest available update. 4. Restart device when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file parsing
allLimit file parsing to trusted sources only and avoid opening files from unknown or untrusted sources.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application allowlisting to restrict which applications can parse files
- Use network filtering to block downloads of potentially malicious file types
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check current OS version against affected versions listed in the Apple security advisory.Check Version:
On macOS: sw_vers -productVersion. On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify OS version matches or exceeds the patched versions listed in the fix information.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file parsing activity
- Application crashes related to file handling
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of suspicious file types to Apple devices
SIEM Query:
Search for file parsing errors or crashes in Apple system logs combined with file download events.🔗 References
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122404
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122405
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122716
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122717
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122718
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122720
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122721
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/122722
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/May/10
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/May/12
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/May/5
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/May/6
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/May/8
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/May/9
