CVE-2025-46302 is a vulnerability identified in Apple’s iOS and iPadOS platforms, as well as related Apple operating systems including macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. The root cause is a lack of adequate bounds checking when processing input from Human Interface Devices (HIDs). A malicious HID device, when connected to a vulnerable Apple device, can exploit this flaw to cause an unexpected process crash, effectively resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-119, which relates to improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer. The attack vector requires physical access to the device to connect the malicious HID and user interaction to trigger the vulnerability. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.7, indicating medium severity, with an attack vector of adjacent network (AV:A), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and user interaction required (UI:R). The impact is limited to availability (A:H), with no confidentiality or integrity impact. Apple addressed this vulnerability by improving bounds checks in the affected input handling code. The patches were released in iOS 18.7.5, iPadOS 18.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, macOS Tahoe 26.2, tvOS 26.2, visionOS 26.2, and watchOS 26.2. No known exploits have been reported in the wild to date.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-46302 is denial of service through unexpected process crashes caused by malicious HID devices. For organizations, this could translate into temporary loss of device availability, disruption of critical workflows, and potential operational downtime, especially in environments relying heavily on Apple devices for mobile computing or point-of-sale systems. Although the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, repeated exploitation could degrade user trust and productivity. In high-security or sensitive environments, such disruptions could have cascading effects on business continuity and incident response. Since exploitation requires physical access and user interaction, remote attacks are not feasible, limiting the scope but increasing the risk in scenarios where devices are accessible to untrusted individuals. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, making timely patching essential.

To mitigate CVE-2025-46302, organizations should: 1) Immediately apply the security updates provided by Apple for iOS 18.7.5, iPadOS 18.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, and other affected OS versions to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2) Enforce strict physical security controls to prevent unauthorized individuals from connecting external HID devices to corporate Apple devices, including the use of port locks or device management policies that restrict USB and Bluetooth device connections. 3) Implement endpoint security solutions capable of monitoring and controlling peripheral device connections, alerting on suspicious HID activity. 4) Educate users about the risks of connecting unknown or untrusted peripherals and encourage vigilance regarding physical device access. 5) For high-risk environments, consider disabling unused HID interfaces or employing mobile device management (MDM) policies to restrict device pairing and peripheral usage. 6) Regularly audit device configurations and update security policies to reflect evolving threats related to physical device access.