CVE-2025-24123 is a medium severity vulnerability affecting Apple’s iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS platforms. The root cause is insufficient validation during file parsing, which can lead to unexpected application termination when a specially crafted file is processed. This results in a denial of service (DoS) condition impacting the availability of the affected application. The vulnerability can be triggered remotely by an attacker who entices a user to open or process a malicious file, requiring user interaction but no prior authentication or privileges. Apple has released patches in iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3 and 17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, Sonoma 14.7.3, Ventura 13.7.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, and watchOS 11.3 that include improved parsing checks to prevent this issue. The CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5 reflects a network attack vector with low complexity and no privileges required, but limited impact confined to availability. No evidence of active exploitation exists at this time, but the vulnerability could be leveraged to disrupt critical applications or services on Apple devices. The broad range of affected Apple operating systems means that a wide variety of devices including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, Apple Watches, and visionOS devices are at risk if unpatched.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-24123 is denial of service through unexpected application termination, which can disrupt user productivity and availability of critical applications on Apple devices. For organizations relying heavily on Apple ecosystems, this could lead to operational interruptions, especially if mission-critical apps are affected. Although the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, repeated or targeted exploitation could degrade user trust and system stability. In environments such as healthcare, finance, or government where Apple devices are used for sensitive operations, even temporary app crashes could have serious consequences. The requirement for user interaction limits automated exploitation but social engineering or phishing could be used to deliver malicious files. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the widespread deployment of Apple devices globally means the potential attack surface is large. Organizations with mixed device environments need to ensure timely patching to maintain service availability and prevent disruption.

1. Deploy patches immediately: Upgrade all affected Apple devices to the fixed versions (iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3/17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, Sonoma 14.7.3, Ventura 13.7.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, watchOS 11.3) as soon as possible to eliminate the vulnerability. 2. Implement strict file handling policies: Restrict or monitor the types of files users can open or download, especially from untrusted sources, to reduce exposure to malicious files. 3. Educate users: Train users to recognize suspicious files and avoid opening unexpected attachments or downloads, reducing the risk of triggering the vulnerability. 4. Use application whitelisting: Limit which applications can process files, thereby reducing the attack surface. 5. Employ network defenses: Use email and web filtering solutions to block or quarantine potentially malicious files before reaching end users. 6. Monitor application crashes: Establish monitoring to detect abnormal app terminations that could indicate exploitation attempts. 7. Maintain up-to-date backups: Ensure regular backups to recover quickly from any disruption caused by denial of service conditions. 8. Coordinate with Apple security advisories: Stay informed about any further updates or related vulnerabilities to maintain a robust defense posture.