CVE-2025-31245 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple tvOS and other Apple operating systems including macOS Sonoma, iPadOS, iOS, macOS Sequoia, visionOS, and macOS Ventura. The vulnerability allows a local app with limited privileges (requiring low privileges and no user interaction) to cause unexpected system termination, effectively a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The root cause relates to insufficient validation or checks within the system that an app can exploit to trigger a system crash or reboot, classified under CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption or Denial of Service). This vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but affects system availability. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.5 (medium), reflecting the local attack vector (AV:L), low complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and impact limited to availability (A:H). Apple has addressed the issue by implementing improved checks in the affected OS versions, and users are advised to update to the patched versions to mitigate the risk. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability could be leveraged by malicious or poorly designed apps to disrupt device operation.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability primarily concerns availability disruptions on Apple tvOS devices and other affected Apple platforms used within enterprise or consumer environments. Organizations relying on Apple TV devices for digital signage, conference room management, or media distribution could experience service interruptions if exploited. Although the vulnerability requires local app execution with some privileges, it could be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised apps distributed through enterprise app stores or sideloaded applications. The disruption could affect operational continuity, user experience, and potentially lead to increased support costs. Since the vulnerability does not compromise data confidentiality or integrity, the risk is limited to denial-of-service scenarios. However, in sectors where continuous availability of media or communication systems is critical (e.g., broadcasting, hospitality, education), the impact could be more pronounced.

European organizations should ensure all Apple devices, especially those running tvOS and other affected OS versions, are updated promptly to the patched versions listed (tvOS 18.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.6, iPadOS 17.7.7, iOS 18.5, macOS Sequoia 15.5, visionOS 2.5, macOS Ventura 13.7.6). Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict app vetting policies to prevent installation of untrusted or unauthorized applications that could exploit this vulnerability. Employ Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to enforce app whitelisting and restrict sideloading. Monitor device logs for unusual app behavior or frequent system terminations that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, educate users about the risks of installing apps from unverified sources. For critical deployments, consider network segmentation to isolate Apple TV devices and limit exposure to potentially malicious internal actors. Regularly review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving denial-of-service on media devices.