CVE-2025-24118: Apple iPadOS Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24118 Overview

CVE-2025-24118 is a memory handling vulnerability affecting Apple's macOS and iPadOS operating systems. The flaw resides in the kernel and stems from improper memory handling, which can allow a malicious application to cause unexpected system termination or write directly to kernel memory. This type of vulnerability poses significant risks as it could potentially be leveraged for privilege escalation or system destabilization attacks.

Critical Impact

A local application can exploit this vulnerability to write to kernel memory or cause system crashes, potentially leading to privilege escalation or denial of service conditions on affected Apple devices.

Affected Products

• Apple iPadOS (versions prior to 17.7.4)
• Apple macOS Sequoia (versions prior to 15.3)
• Apple macOS Sonoma (versions prior to 14.7.3)

Discovery Timeline

• January 27, 2025 - CVE-2025-24118 published to NVD
• November 3, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24118

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-787 (Out-of-Bounds Write), indicating a memory corruption issue where data can be written beyond the intended buffer boundaries. The flaw exists within the kernel's memory handling routines, where insufficient validation or improper bounds checking allows an application to corrupt kernel memory space.

The local attack vector means that exploitation requires the attacker to have some level of access to the target system—either through a malicious application installed on the device or through code execution via another vulnerability. The vulnerability requires user interaction, suggesting that successful exploitation may depend on the user running or interacting with a malicious application.

The impact of this vulnerability is twofold: an attacker can either cause unexpected system termination (denial of service) or achieve kernel memory writes. Kernel memory corruption can have severe consequences, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security mechanisms, escalate privileges, or execute arbitrary code with kernel-level permissions.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the kernel. Specifically, insufficient bounds checking or memory management in kernel code paths allows applications to influence memory operations in unintended ways. This type of issue often occurs when memory allocation sizes are not properly validated, when buffer boundaries are not enforced, or when pointer arithmetic leads to out-of-bounds memory access.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access and user interaction. An attacker would need to craft a malicious application that triggers the vulnerable memory handling code path. When a user runs this application, it can exploit the improper memory handling to either:

1. Write data to kernel memory addresses, potentially corrupting critical kernel structures
2. Trigger conditions that cause the system to terminate unexpectedly

The vulnerability mechanism involves the application making system calls or using APIs that interact with the vulnerable kernel code. The improper memory handling allows the application to influence kernel memory operations, leading to either memory corruption or system instability. Technical details are available in the Full Disclosure post from January 2025 and Apple's security advisories.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24118

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected system crashes or kernel panics with memory-related error messages
• Unusual application behavior attempting to trigger kernel operations
• System logs showing memory corruption or out-of-bounds access errors in kernel space
• Applications requesting unusual memory operations or exhibiting suspicious system call patterns

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for kernel panics and system crashes, particularly those with memory handling error signatures
• Implement application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized applications from executing
• Use endpoint detection solutions to identify applications attempting suspicious kernel interactions
• Deploy SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect anomalous application behavior indicative of exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose kernel logging to capture memory-related errors and warnings
• Monitor system stability metrics and alert on unusual crash patterns
• Review installed applications for unauthorized or suspicious software
• Implement continuous endpoint monitoring with SentinelOne to detect exploitation attempts in real-time

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24118

Immediate Actions Required

• Update iPadOS devices to version 17.7.4 or later immediately
• Update macOS Sequoia systems to version 15.3 or later
• Update macOS Sonoma systems to version 14.7.3 or later
• Audit installed applications and remove any untrusted or suspicious software
• Enable automatic updates to ensure future security patches are applied promptly

Patch Information

Apple has released security updates to address this vulnerability. The patches implement improved memory handling to prevent the out-of-bounds write condition. Detailed patch information is available in the following Apple Security Advisories:

• Apple Support Document #122067 - iPadOS 17.7.4 Security Content
• Apple Support Document #122068 - macOS Sequoia 15.3 Security Content
• Apple Support Document #122069 - macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 Security Content

Organizations should prioritize applying these updates as the EPSS score of 6.79% (91st percentile) indicates a higher than average probability of exploitation.

Workarounds

• Restrict application installation to only trusted, signed applications from the App Store
• Implement strict application control policies to prevent execution of unknown binaries
• Ensure users operate with least-privilege accounts to minimize impact of potential exploitation
• Monitor and limit applications that require elevated permissions or kernel access

# Verify current macOS version
sw_vers -productVersion

# Check for available updates via command line
softwareupdate --list

# Install all available updates
softwareupdate --install --all