CVE-2025-43342 is a critical vulnerability identified in Apple’s iOS and iPadOS platforms, including Safari and other Apple operating systems like tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS. The root cause is a correctness issue related to insufficient validation when processing web content, classified under CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation). This flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious web content that, when processed by the vulnerable Apple browser or system component, causes an unexpected process crash. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without requiring any privileges or user interaction, making it highly accessible to attackers. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, reflecting critical severity with attack vector as network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts on confidentiality (C:H), integrity (I:H), and availability (A:H). This means an attacker can remotely cause denial of service or potentially leverage the crash to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges, severely compromising device security. Apple has addressed this issue in Safari 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, visionOS 26, and iOS/iPadOS 18.7. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability’s characteristics make it a prime candidate for exploitation once weaponized. The vulnerability affects all unspecified prior versions, implying a wide range of devices remain vulnerable until patched.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the widespread use of Apple devices in enterprise and consumer environments. The ability to remotely crash processes without user interaction can lead to denial of service conditions, disrupting business operations and critical communications. More critically, the high impact on confidentiality and integrity suggests potential for data breaches or unauthorized code execution, which could compromise sensitive corporate or personal data. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure that rely on iOS/iPadOS devices for secure communications and operations are particularly vulnerable. The disruption caused by process crashes could also affect availability of essential services. Given the vulnerability affects multiple Apple platforms, organizations using a mix of Apple devices are at risk. The lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive patching, but the critical severity demands immediate attention to prevent exploitation by threat actors targeting European digital assets.

European organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the security updates released by Apple for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, Safari 26, and related platforms. Given the vulnerability’s remote exploitability without user interaction, patch management policies must enforce rapid update cycles for all Apple devices. Network-level defenses such as web content filtering and intrusion prevention systems should be configured to detect and block suspicious or malformed web content that could trigger the vulnerability. Organizations should also monitor network traffic for unusual patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying abnormal process crashes or suspicious browser behavior can help detect exploitation attempts early. User education should emphasize caution when accessing unknown or untrusted web content, although user interaction is not required for exploitation. Finally, organizations should maintain an inventory of Apple devices to ensure all endpoints are accounted for and updated promptly.