CVE-2025-24161 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting various Apple products, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. This vulnerability allows for unexpected application termination when a file is parsed, posing risks to user experience and system stability. Given the increasing integration of Apple devices in personal and professional environments, the impact of this vulnerability could be significant.
The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS base score of 5.5, indicating a medium severity level. This score highlights the need for prompt remediation by users and organizations to prevent potential disruptions. The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on January 27, 2025, and has undergone modifications to improve checks against exploitation.
Organizations using the affected Apple products should prioritize patching to mitigate the risk of unexpected application terminations. While no known exploits currently exist, the potential for future exploitation necessitates immediate action. Users are urged to update their systems to the latest versions, which include fixes for this vulnerability.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately. The urgency for remediation is high, given the prevalence of Apple devices in various sectors.
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability was addressed with improved checks, as detailed in the official CVE description. It affects iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, and watchOS 11.3. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-754, indicating improper checks or validation, which leads to potential application crashes.
The CVSS score of 5.5 reflects a local attack vector with low complexity and no privileges required but requires user interaction. The availability impact is rated high, emphasizing the critical nature of addressing this vulnerability.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inadequate checks during file parsing within various Apple operating systems. This oversight can lead to unexpected application terminations, affecting user experience and potentially leading to data loss.
The attack vector is local, meaning an attacker must have physical access to the device to exploit this vulnerability. The attack complexity is low, and it requires no privileges, but user interaction is necessary, as the user must open the file that could trigger the issue.
The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity, but it does pose a significant risk to availability, as applications may terminate unexpectedly, disrupting user tasks and workflows.
Risk & Impact Analysis
The real-world risk associated with this vulnerability is primarily related to application stability. Users may experience unexpected crashes, which can disrupt critical tasks and lead to data loss or productivity impacts.
Given the high availability impact, organizations relying on Apple devices must consider the blast radius of this vulnerability. The potential for crashing applications could extend to critical business operations, impacting service delivery and customer interactions.
The urgency assessment based on the CVSS score and the nature of the vulnerability indicates that organizations should address this issue in their priority patch cycle. Preventive measures and timely updates can help mitigate potential disruptions.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The affected versions include iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, and watchOS 11.3. Users should update to these versions or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Mitigation & Remediation
To remediate this vulnerability, users should update their devices to the latest versions of Apple operating systems as listed above. Organizations should implement a strategy for regular updates and monitor their systems for any anomalies related to application stability.
For organizations that cannot apply the updates immediately, consider implementing network controls to limit access to vulnerable systems. Additionally, monitoring for unexpected application terminations can help detect potential exploitation attempts.
Organizations should validate remediation through continuous security testing to identify similar weaknesses.
Detection Guidance
To detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should monitor logs for indicators of unexpected application terminations. Behavioral anomalies that indicate application instability should also be flagged for further investigation.
Network signatures may also help identify attempts to exploit this vulnerability, especially if coupled with user reports of application crashes.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
This vulnerability underscores the importance of rigorous validation in application development and deployment processes. Organizations should learn from such vulnerabilities to strengthen their software development lifecycle and ensure robust security measures are implemented.
Security teams are encouraged to adopt proactive measures such as regular application security assessments and penetration testing to uncover similar issues before they can be exploited. Additionally, fostering a culture of security awareness among developers can significantly reduce the likelihood of vulnerabilities being introduced.
For more comprehensive insights into application security practices, organizations can refer to our resources on vulnerability management programs and penetration testing methodologies that can further enhance their security posture.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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