VulnerabilityPublished 29 Jul 2025Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2025-31276: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Remote content may be loaded even when the 'Load Remote Images' setting is turned off

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium · fixed in 18.6 : update Apple iOS and iPadOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 39% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 18.6

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 29 Jul 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple iOS and iPadOS	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-31276, organizations and users should promptly update affected devices to iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, or iPadOS 17.7.9 where the vulnerability is fixed. Beyond patching, administrators should audit email and web content filtering policies to reduce exposure to unsolicited remote content. Deploying network-level controls to block or monitor requests to known tracking or malicious domains can further reduce risk. Users should be educated on the privacy implications of remote content loading and encouraged to verify settings regularly. For high-security environments, consider disabling automatic content loading in email clients and browsers or using privacy-focused applications that enforce stricter content controls. Monitoring network traffic for unusual outbound requests from mobile devices may help detect exploitation attempts. Finally, maintain awareness of updates from Apple and security advisories to respond swiftly to any emerging threats related to this vulnerability.

Description

This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, iPadOS 17.7.9. Remote content may be loaded even when the 'Load Remote Images' setting is turned off.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-31276 is on user privacy and confidentiality. By bypassing the 'Load Remote Images' setting, attackers can force devices to load remote content without user consent, potentially exposing user IP addresses, device metadata, and behavioral patterns to malicious actors or trackers. This can facilitate targeted phishing, user profiling, or surveillance campaigns. Although the vulnerability does not compromise system integrity or availability, the privacy breach can be significant, especially for users in sensitive environments or those requiring strict confidentiality. Organizations with employees using vulnerable Apple devices may face increased risks of data leakage or targeted attacks exploiting this flaw. The ease of exploitation—requiring no privileges or user interaction—makes it a notable concern for privacy-focused users and enterprises. However, the lack of known exploits in the wild and the medium CVSS score suggest the threat is moderate but warrants timely remediation.

CWE-359Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not properly prevent a person's private, personal information from being accessed by actors who either (1) are not explicitly authorized to access the information or (2) do not have the implicit consent of the person about whom the information is collected.
Requirements
Identify and consult all relevant regulations for personal privacy. An organization may be required to comply with certain federal and state regulations, depending on its location, the type of business it conducts, and the nature of any private data it handles.
Architecture and Design
Carefully evaluate how secure design may interfere with privacy, and vice versa. Security and privacy concerns often seem to compete with each other. From a security perspective, all important operations should be recorded so that any anomalous activity can later be identified.
Implementation · Operation · Attack Surface Reduction
Some tools can automatically analyze documents to redact, strip, or "sanitize" private information, although some human review might be necessary. Tools may vary in terms of which document formats can be processed.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V10.2.1 (opens in a new tab)
V8.3.4 (opens in a new tab)
V14.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Evercookie (opens in a new tab)
Cross Site Identification (opens in a new tab)
Probe iOS Screenshots (opens in a new tab)
Shoulder Surfing (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 01:33 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-359

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats