CVE-2025-24264 is a critical vulnerability identified in Apple tvOS Safari and related Apple operating systems, including visionOS, iPadOS, iOS, and macOS. The root cause is improper memory handling when processing maliciously crafted web content, which can lead to an unexpected crash of the Safari browser. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400, indicating a resource exhaustion or denial of service condition. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 reflects the severity, with attack vector being network-based (AV:N), requiring no privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), and impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). The flaw allows an attacker to remotely cause a denial of service by crashing Safari, potentially disrupting user access to web resources and possibly enabling further exploitation if combined with other vulnerabilities. The issue was addressed by Apple through improved memory management in tvOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4, iPadOS 17.7.6, iOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4, as well as Safari 18.4. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the ease of exploitation and broad impact make it a critical threat. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to these patches, though specific affected versions are unspecified. Given the widespread use of Apple devices in consumer and enterprise environments, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, especially where Apple TV devices or Safari are used in business-critical contexts.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-24264 is multifaceted. Primarily, the vulnerability can cause denial of service by crashing Safari on Apple tvOS and other Apple platforms, disrupting access to web-based applications and services. This can affect media delivery platforms, digital signage, and enterprise environments relying on Apple TV devices. The high impact on confidentiality and integrity suggests that memory corruption could potentially be leveraged for further attacks, such as data leakage or code execution, although no such exploits are currently known. Organizations in sectors like media, broadcasting, education, and corporate environments using Apple devices may experience operational disruptions. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited remotely without authentication or user interaction, increasing the risk of widespread attacks. The disruption of availability could impact customer-facing services and internal workflows, leading to financial and reputational damage. Given the critical severity, failure to patch promptly could expose organizations to targeted attacks or opportunistic exploitation, especially in environments with high Apple device penetration.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Immediately deploy the security updates released by Apple for tvOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4, iPadOS 17.7.6, iOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4, and Safari 18.4 to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2) For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to Apple TV devices and Safari browsers by implementing web content filtering and blocking access to untrusted or suspicious websites that could deliver malicious content. 3) Monitor network traffic and device logs for unusual crashes or behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Educate users and administrators about the risk of visiting untrusted web content on Apple devices, especially on tvOS platforms. 5) Employ network segmentation to isolate Apple TV devices from critical infrastructure to limit potential impact. 6) Maintain an inventory of Apple devices and ensure they are updated regularly as part of patch management policies. 7) Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting abnormal process crashes or memory corruption events on Apple devices. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on network controls, monitoring, and operational readiness specific to the affected platforms.