CVE-2025-46304 is a vulnerability identified in Apple macOS and related operating systems, including iOS and iPadOS, where a malicious Human Interface Device (HID) can trigger an unexpected process crash. The root cause is insufficient bounds checking in the handling of input from HID devices, which can be exploited to cause a denial of service (DoS) by crashing affected processes. This vulnerability is tracked under CWE-400, indicating a resource exhaustion or DoS condition. The issue was addressed by Apple through improved bounds checking in macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, iOS 18.7.5, and iPadOS 18.7.5. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.7 (medium severity), with the vector AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, indicating that the attack requires adjacent network access (e.g., via USB or Bluetooth), low attack complexity, no privileges, but requires user interaction, and impacts availability only. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the vulnerability could be leveraged by attackers supplying malicious HID devices to cause process crashes, potentially disrupting user workflows or critical applications. The vulnerability affects unspecified versions prior to the patched releases, implying a broad impact across multiple Apple OS versions. The technical fix involves enhanced input validation and bounds checking to prevent out-of-bounds memory access or resource exhaustion triggered by malformed HID input data.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-46304 is denial of service through unexpected process crashes caused by malicious HID devices. For organizations, this can lead to disruption of critical applications or system components, potentially affecting productivity and operational continuity. While the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, repeated or targeted exploitation could degrade system reliability and availability, especially in environments relying heavily on macOS or Apple mobile devices. Attackers with physical or logical access to connect malicious HID devices (e.g., USB peripherals or Bluetooth devices) could exploit this vulnerability. This risk is particularly relevant in environments with shared or public workstations, or where supply chain attacks involving compromised peripherals are a concern. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks. Organizations with high dependency on Apple ecosystems, including creative industries, software development, and government agencies, may experience operational impacts if unpatched systems are targeted.

To mitigate CVE-2025-46304, organizations should prioritize applying the official Apple security updates: macOS Sequoia 15.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.8.4, iOS 18.7.5, and iPadOS 18.7.5 or later. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict controls on the use of external HID devices, including: 1) Enforcing device whitelisting policies to allow only trusted peripherals; 2) Using endpoint security solutions capable of monitoring and blocking unauthorized HID devices; 3) Educating users about the risks of connecting unknown USB or Bluetooth devices; 4) Employing physical security measures to prevent unauthorized access to USB ports; 5) Monitoring system logs for unusual process crashes or HID-related errors that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should review supply chain security for peripherals and consider using hardware with built-in security features to detect malicious device behavior. Network segmentation and limiting user privileges can further reduce the attack surface. Regular vulnerability scanning and incident response preparedness will help detect and respond to any exploitation attempts promptly.