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CVE-2025-31253: Muting the microphone during a FaceTime call may not result in audio being silenced in Apple iOS and iPadOS

High
VulnerabilityCVE-2025-31253cvecve-2025-31253
Published: Mon May 12 2025 (05/12/2025, 21:42:41 UTC)
Source: CVE
Vendor/Project: Apple
Product: iOS and iPadOS

Description

This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5. Muting the microphone during a FaceTime call may not result in audio being silenced.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 07/06/2025, 14:27:21 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2025-31253 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Apple iOS and iPadOS platforms, specifically related to the FaceTime application. The vulnerability arises from improper state management when a user mutes the microphone during a FaceTime call. Instead of silencing the audio input as expected, the microphone may continue to transmit audio, thereby failing to respect the mute command. This flaw is categorized under CWE-672, which involves operations on a resource after it has been released or in an inconsistent state, indicating that the internal state tracking of the microphone mute function is flawed. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1, reflecting a high severity level. The vector string (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H) indicates that the attack requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is unchanged (S:U), with high impact on confidentiality (C:H), no impact on integrity (I:N), and high impact on availability (A:H). This means that an attacker with local access and the ability to induce user interaction could exploit this bug to eavesdrop on audio despite the user muting the microphone, severely compromising confidentiality. The availability impact suggests that the vulnerability could also disrupt the normal functioning of the FaceTime call. Apple has addressed this issue in iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 through improved state management, but affected versions prior to these updates remain vulnerable. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the nature of the vulnerability makes it a significant privacy risk for users relying on FaceTime for confidential communications.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk to confidentiality during internal and external communications conducted over FaceTime on iOS and iPadOS devices. Organizations in sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, and legal services, which often handle sensitive information, could face unauthorized audio disclosure if employees use vulnerable devices. The failure of the mute function undermines user trust and could lead to inadvertent leakage of confidential discussions, intellectual property, or personal data, potentially violating GDPR requirements on data protection and privacy. Additionally, the availability impact could disrupt critical communications, affecting operational continuity. Given the widespread use of Apple devices in Europe, especially in professional environments, the vulnerability could be exploited by malicious insiders or attackers who gain local access to devices or trick users into interaction, such as clicking a malicious link or accepting a call. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk, but the high confidentiality impact and ease of local exploitation necessitate prompt attention.

Mitigation Recommendations

European organizations should prioritize updating all iOS and iPadOS devices to version 18.5 or later to ensure the vulnerability is patched. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict device management policies, including Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to enforce timely updates and monitor device compliance. User training is critical to raise awareness about the risks of using FaceTime on unpatched devices and the importance of verifying mute status during calls. For highly sensitive communications, organizations should consider alternative secure communication platforms with verified mute functionality until all devices are updated. Additionally, restricting local access to devices through strong physical security controls and endpoint protection can reduce the risk of exploitation. Monitoring network traffic for unusual audio streams or anomalies during FaceTime calls may provide early detection of exploitation attempts. Finally, organizations should review and update privacy policies to reflect the potential risks and mitigation steps related to this vulnerability.

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Technical Details

Data Version
5.1
Assigner Short Name
apple
Date Reserved
2025-03-27T16:13:58.336Z
Cisa Enriched
true
Cvss Version
3.1
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 682cd0fb1484d88663aec946

Added to database: 5/20/2025, 6:59:07 PM

Last enriched: 7/6/2025, 2:27:21 PM

Last updated: 8/10/2025, 7:31:15 PM

Views: 21

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