CVE-2025-43385VulnerabilityPublished 4 Nov 2025Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2025-43385: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Processing a maliciously crafted media file may lead to unexpected app termination or corrupt process

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium · fixed in 18.7.2 : update Apple iOS and iPadOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

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

EPSS: 1.0% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 62% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 18.7.2

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

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

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: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 4 Nov 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 2026-10-26.

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 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-2025-43385, organizations should promptly apply the security updates released by Apple for iOS 18.7.2, iPadOS 18.7.2, and other affected operating systems. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict media file handling policies, including restricting or scanning media files received from untrusted sources before opening them on Apple devices. Employ endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting anomalous app crashes or memory corruption events. Educate users about the risks of opening unsolicited or suspicious media files, especially from unknown senders. Network-level controls such as email filtering and web content scanning can help block malicious media files before reaching end users. For high-security environments, consider disabling or limiting media file processing capabilities in sensitive applications or sandboxing media processing components to contain potential crashes. Continuous monitoring of device logs for unusual app terminations can provide early warning of exploitation attempts. Finally, maintain an up-to-date inventory of Apple devices and ensure compliance with patch management policies to reduce exposure.

Description

An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1. Processing a maliciously crafted media file may lead to unexpected app termination or corrupt process memory.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-43385 is on the availability of affected applications and devices. By processing a maliciously crafted media file, an attacker can cause targeted apps to crash or corrupt their memory, potentially leading to denial-of-service conditions. Although the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or integrity, memory corruption could theoretically be exploited further to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges, especially if combined with other vulnerabilities. Organizations relying heavily on Apple mobile devices and media processing apps may experience disruptions or service instability. The lack of required privileges and the network attack vector increase the risk of widespread exploitation if malicious media files are distributed via email, messaging apps, or web content. However, the requirement for user interaction limits automated exploitation. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks. Overall, the vulnerability poses a moderate risk to operational continuity and user experience.

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #8
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Overread Buffers (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, 02:11 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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