VulnerabilityPublished 29 Jul 2025Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2025-43228: Apple Safari · Visiting a malicious website may lead to address bar spoofing

Affects Apple SafariSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium · fixed in 18.6 : update Apple Safari when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 58% 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:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
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: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on 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 Safari	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-43228, organizations and users should promptly update Safari to version 18.6 or later on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices. Enforcing automatic updates or centralized patch management for Apple devices can ensure timely deployment of the fix. Additionally, organizations should educate users about the risks of address bar spoofing and phishing, emphasizing caution when clicking links or entering credentials on unfamiliar websites. Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) can reduce the impact of credential theft resulting from spoofing attacks. Network-level protections such as web filtering and DNS filtering can help block access to known malicious sites. Security teams should monitor for phishing campaigns targeting their users leveraging this vulnerability. Finally, consider deploying endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting suspicious browser behaviors or UI manipulations.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved UI. This issue is fixed in Safari 18.6, iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6. Visiting a malicious website may lead to address bar spoofing.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-43228 is on the integrity of the user interface, specifically the address bar in Safari browsers. By spoofing the address bar, attackers can deceive users into believing they are visiting a legitimate website when they are actually on a malicious site. This can lead to increased success of phishing attacks, credential theft, and fraud. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or availability, the indirect consequences can be severe, including unauthorized access to user accounts and sensitive information if users are tricked into submitting credentials or personal data. Organizations with employees or customers using vulnerable Safari versions face heightened risks of social engineering attacks. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits following public disclosure. The vulnerability affects a broad user base given Safari's significant market share on Apple devices worldwide.

CWE-451User Interface (UI) Misrepresentation of Critical Information (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The user interface (UI) does not properly represent critical information to the user, allowing the information - or its source - to be obscured or spoofed. This is often a component in phishing attacks.
Implementation · Input Validation
Perform data validation (e.g. syntax, length, etc.) before interpreting the data.
Architecture and Design · Output Encoding
Create a strategy for presenting information, and plan for how to display unusual characters.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Spear Phishing (opens in a new tab)
Mobile Phishing (opens in a new tab)
Phishing (opens in a new tab)
Resource Location Spoofing (opens in a new tab)
Action Spoofing (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 01:43 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-451

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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