CVE-2025-43531
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a race condition vulnerability in Apple's web content processing that could allow an attacker to cause unexpected process crashes. It affects multiple Apple operating systems and Safari browser. Users accessing malicious web content are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Safari
- watchOS
- iOS
- iPadOS
- macOS Tahoe
- visionOS
- tvOS
📦 What is this software?
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 →Safari by Apple
Tvos by Apple
Watchos by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Denial of service through application crashes, potentially disrupting user workflows or services.
Likely Case
Browser or application crash when visiting malicious websites, requiring restart of affected application.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or if malicious content is blocked by security controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Race conditions typically require precise timing and may be difficult to reliably exploit.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: watchOS 26.2, Safari 26.2, iOS 18.7.3 and iPadOS 18.7.3, iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2, macOS Tahoe 26.2, visionOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125884
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Settings app. 2. Navigate to General > Software Update. 3. Install available updates. 4. Restart device when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allPrevents execution of malicious web content that could trigger the race condition.
Use Content Filtering
allBlock access to untrusted websites using web filtering solutions.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict web content filtering to block malicious sites
- Educate users to avoid clicking unknown links or visiting untrusted websites
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check current OS version against affected versions listed in Apple advisories.Check Version:
On macOS: sw_vers -productVersion; On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify OS version matches or exceeds patched versions listed in fix information.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected application crashes
- Web process termination logs
- Safari/web content process failures
Network Indicators:
- Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit content
SIEM Query:
source="apple_system_logs" AND (process="Safari" OR process="WebContent") AND event="crash"