CVE-2025-43541
📋 TL;DR
A type confusion vulnerability in Apple's Safari browser and related operating systems could cause unexpected crashes when processing malicious web content. This affects users running vulnerable versions of Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. The issue has been addressed in recent updates.
💻 Affected Systems
- Safari
- iOS
- iPadOS
- macOS
- 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 →Safari by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Denial of service through browser crashes, potentially disrupting user workflows or enabling further exploitation if combined with other vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
Temporary browser crashes when visiting malicious websites, requiring restart of Safari.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper patching; users experience normal browsing functionality.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user to visit malicious website; no authentication needed. Type confusion vulnerabilities can sometimes lead to more severe impacts if combined with other issues.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 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
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125884
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Settings/System Preferences. 2. Navigate to Software Update. 3. Install available updates for your Apple device. 4. Restart device after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allPrevents execution of malicious JavaScript that could trigger the vulnerability
Safari → Preferences → Security → Uncheck 'Enable JavaScript'
Use Alternative Browser
allTemporarily use Chrome, Firefox, or other browsers until patched
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web filtering to block known malicious sites
- Educate users to avoid suspicious websites and links
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Safari version: Safari → About Safari. Check OS version: Apple menu → About This Mac (macOS) or Settings → General → About (iOS/iPadOS/visionOS).Check Version:
macOS: sw_vers -productVersion; iOS/iPadOS/visionOS: Settings → General → About → VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version numbers match or exceed patched versions listed in fix_official section.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Safari crash logs
- Unexpected browser termination events
- WebKit process crashes
Network Indicators:
- Connections to suspicious domains followed by browser crashes
SIEM Query:
source="*safari*" AND (event="crash" OR event="terminated")