VulnerabilityPublished 25 Jun 2022Updated 30 May 2025

CVE-2019-25071: Apple iOS · Improper Privilege Management

Affects Apple iOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 70% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Jun 2022
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple iOS	Affected =12.4.0 =12.4.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Upgrade all Apple iOS devices to version 13.0 or later, as this is the primary and most effective mitigation against CVE-2019-25071.
Implement mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce OS version compliance and restrict installation of outdated or vulnerable iOS versions.
Educate users about the risks of interacting with unsolicited or untrusted multimedia content, especially audio or video files received via email, messaging apps, or websites.
Configure network security controls to block or monitor suspicious multimedia content delivery channels that could be used to exploit this vulnerability.
Disable or restrict Siri functionality on corporate devices where feasible, particularly in high-security environments, to reduce the attack surface.
Monitor device logs and behavior for unusual Siri activations or command executions that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Maintain an inventory of iOS devices and their OS versions to prioritize patching and risk assessment efforts.

Description

A vulnerability was found in Apple iPhone up to 12.4.1. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is Siri. Playing an audio or video file might be able to initiate Siri on the same device which makes it possible to execute commands remotely. Exploit details have been disclosed to the public. The existence and implications of this vulnerability are doubted by Apple even though multiple public videos demonstrating the attack exist. Upgrading to version 13.0 migt be able to address this issue. It is recommended to upgrade affected devices. NOTE: Apple claims, that after examining the report they do not see any actual security implications.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2019-25071 depends on the prevalence of affected iOS versions within their device fleets. Organizations with employees using iPhones running iOS 12.4.0 or 12.4.1 could be at risk of remote unauthorized command execution via malicious media content. This could lead to data leakage, unauthorized access to sensitive information, or disruption of device availability. Given that Siri can access various device functions, attackers might leverage this vulnerability to bypass security controls or gain footholds within corporate environments. However, the requirement for user interaction (playing a malicious audio/video file) limits the attack vector primarily to social engineering or drive-by media playback scenarios. The lack of known exploits in the wild and Apple's doubt about the vulnerability's practical impact reduce the immediate risk level. Nonetheless, organizations handling sensitive data or operating in regulated sectors (e.g., finance, healthcare) should consider this vulnerability seriously due to the potential for privilege escalation and unauthorized command execution on employee devices that may access corporate resources.

Summary

CVE-2019-25071 is a vulnerability identified in Apple iOS versions up to 12.4.1, specifically affecting the Siri voice assistant functionality. The core issue is classified under CWE-269, which relates to improper privilege management. The vulnerability allows an attacker to remotely trigger Siri by playing an audio or video file on the same device, potentially enabling the execution of commands without direct user initiation. This could lead to unauthorized actions being performed on the device, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Although multiple public demonstrations exist showing the exploit, Apple has publicly expressed skepticism regarding the actual security implications of this vulnerability. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.3, indicating a medium severity level. The vector indicates that exploitation requires no privileges (PR:N), has low attack complexity (AC:L), requires user interaction (UI:R), and affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent (C:L/I:L/A:L). The vulnerability is mitigated by upgrading to iOS version 13.0 or later, where the issue is believed to be addressed. There are no known exploits in the wild, and no official patches beyond the OS upgrade have been linked. The vulnerability's exploitation involves tricking the device into activating Siri via media playback, which could be embedded in malicious content such as websites, emails, or multimedia files. This could lead to unauthorized command execution, data leakage, or device manipulation if successful.

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Consider following the principle of separation of privilege. Require multiple conditions to be met before permitting access to a system resource.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Restful Privilege Elevation (opens in a new tab)
Privilege Abuse (opens in a new tab)
Privilege Escalation (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 8 Jul 2025, 14:42 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-269

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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