CVE-2025-31200 is a memory corruption vulnerability affecting Apple visionOS and other Apple operating systems including iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS Sequoia. The flaw arises during the processing of audio streams embedded in maliciously crafted media files, where insufficient bounds checking leads to memory corruption. This can be exploited to achieve remote code execution, allowing attackers to run arbitrary code with limited privileges but requiring user interaction to trigger the vulnerability. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1, indicating high severity, with attack vector network-based, attack complexity high, privileges required low, and user interaction required. Apple has addressed the issue by improving bounds checking in the affected components and released security updates in April 2025. While no broad exploitation campaigns have been observed, Apple acknowledges reports of highly sophisticated targeted attacks leveraging this vulnerability on iOS devices, suggesting threat actors are capable of weaponizing this flaw against high-value targets. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability due to potential arbitrary code execution. The affected platforms include visionOS 2.x, tvOS 18.x, iOS 18.x, iPadOS 18.x, and macOS Sequoia 15.x, all of which are widely used in consumer and enterprise environments. The attack requires a user to open or process a malicious media file containing a crafted audio stream, making social engineering or delivery via email, messaging, or web browsing plausible attack vectors. The fix involves applying the latest OS updates from Apple that implement improved bounds checking to prevent memory corruption during audio stream processing.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, especially to sectors relying heavily on Apple devices such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. Successful exploitation can lead to full system compromise, data theft, espionage, or disruption of services. The requirement for user interaction and low privilege means targeted phishing or social engineering campaigns could be effective. Given the reported use in sophisticated targeted attacks, espionage groups or advanced persistent threats (APTs) may exploit this vulnerability to gain footholds in high-value European targets. The broad adoption of Apple devices in Europe, including visionOS devices in emerging AR/VR deployments, increases the attack surface. Unpatched devices could be leveraged as entry points into corporate networks, potentially bypassing perimeter defenses. The impact extends beyond individual devices to organizational confidentiality, integrity of data, and availability of critical systems.

European organizations should immediately prioritize deploying the Apple security updates: visionOS 2.4.1, tvOS 18.4.1, iOS 18.4.1, iPadOS 18.4.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.4.1. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict media file handling policies, restricting or scanning incoming media files for malicious content using advanced threat detection tools. User awareness training should emphasize the risks of opening unsolicited or suspicious media files, especially from unknown sources. Network-level controls such as sandboxing media processing applications, employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for anomalous behaviors, and restricting execution privileges can reduce exploitation likelihood. Organizations deploying visionOS devices should evaluate their exposure and consider isolating these devices from sensitive networks until patched. Incident response plans should be updated to detect and respond to exploitation attempts involving malicious media files. Collaboration with threat intelligence providers to monitor for emerging exploit activity is recommended.