CVE-2025-24126: Apple iPadOS DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24126 Overview

CVE-2025-24126 is an input validation vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating systems that could allow an attacker on the local network to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt process memory. This vulnerability stems from improper validation of input data, which when exploited from an adjacent network position, can lead to denial of service conditions or memory corruption that could potentially be leveraged for further attacks.

Critical Impact

An attacker positioned on the local network can exploit this input validation flaw to crash affected Apple devices or corrupt process memory, potentially leading to data loss, service disruption, or enabling secondary exploitation.

Affected Products

• Apple visionOS (versions prior to 2.3)
• Apple iOS and iPadOS (versions prior to 18.3)
• Apple macOS Sequoia (versions prior to 15.3)
• Apple watchOS (versions prior to 11.3)
• Apple tvOS (versions prior to 18.3)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-27 - CVE-2025-24126 published to NVD
• 2025-11-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24126

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as an input validation issue (CWE-400 - Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Apple's core operating system components. The flaw exists in the network-facing input handling mechanisms across Apple's ecosystem of devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.

The vulnerability requires the attacker to be on the same local network as the target device, indicating the exploit targets a network service or protocol handler that processes input from adjacent network sources. Successful exploitation does not require user interaction, making it particularly concerning for environments where devices may be connected to shared or semi-trusted networks.

The impact includes both integrity and availability concerns. Memory corruption could potentially allow an attacker to modify process state or inject malicious data, while the system termination capability enables denial of service attacks against affected devices.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-24126 is improper input validation in network-facing components of Apple's operating systems. The affected code fails to adequately validate or sanitize input received from network sources before processing, leading to conditions where malformed or malicious input can cause memory corruption or trigger system termination.

Input validation failures of this nature typically occur when:

• Boundary conditions are not properly checked before memory operations
• Data type assumptions are made without verification
• Length or size parameters are trusted without validation
• Network protocol parsers fail to handle unexpected or malformed data

Attack Vector

The attack vector is classified as Adjacent Network, meaning the attacker must have access to the same network segment as the target device. This could include scenarios such as:

• Shared corporate networks where an attacker has compromised a workstation
• Public Wi-Fi networks at coffee shops, airports, or hotels
• Compromised home networks
• Guest networks with insufficient isolation

The attacker would craft specially formatted network traffic designed to trigger the input validation flaw. Since the attack requires low privileges and no user interaction, automated exploitation tools could potentially target multiple devices on a network simultaneously.

Due to the nature of this vulnerability and responsible disclosure practices, no verified exploitation code is publicly available. The vulnerability exploits insufficient input validation in network-facing components, allowing malformed data to cause memory corruption or system termination. For technical details, refer to the Full Disclosure security advisories.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24126

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected device crashes or reboots without user-initiated action, particularly when connected to shared networks
• Abnormal network traffic patterns from local network sources targeting system services
• Process crashes in system daemons or network-related services with memory corruption signatures
• Multiple devices on the same network experiencing simultaneous stability issues

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for unusual adjacent network traffic patterns, particularly malformed packets targeting Apple devices
• Implement network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) with signatures for known Apple protocol anomalies
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting memory corruption attempts
• Log and alert on repeated system daemon crashes or kernel panics on Apple devices

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable crash reporting and centralized logging for all Apple devices in the enterprise
• Monitor network segments for unexpected broadcast or multicast traffic that could indicate exploitation attempts
• Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of sensitive Apple devices to untrusted network segments
• Configure SentinelOne agents to detect and alert on anomalous process termination or memory access patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24126

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all affected Apple devices to the latest patched versions immediately (visionOS 2.3, iOS/iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, watchOS 11.3, tvOS 18.3)
• Segment sensitive Apple devices from untrusted or shared network segments where possible
• Audit network access controls to limit exposure of Apple devices to potential attackers on adjacent networks
• Enable automatic updates on all Apple devices to ensure timely patch deployment

Patch Information

Apple has released security updates addressing this vulnerability across all affected platforms. The following versions contain the fix:

• visionOS 2.3 - Apple Security Update 122073
• iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 - Apple Security Update 122066
• macOS Sequoia 15.3 - Apple Security Update 122071
• watchOS 11.3 - Apple Security Update 122068
• tvOS 18.3 - Apple Security Update 122072

Organizations should prioritize deployment of these updates, particularly for devices that connect to shared or public networks.

Workarounds

• Restrict Apple devices to trusted network segments with limited adjacent network exposure
• Implement network access control (NAC) to prevent unauthorized devices from joining networks with Apple devices
• Use VPN connections when connecting Apple devices to public or shared networks
• Configure host-based firewalls where available to limit incoming network connections

# Example: Check macOS version to verify patch status
sw_vers -productVersion
# Should return 15.3 or higher for macOS Sequoia

# Example: Check iOS/iPadOS version via MDM or device
# Settings > General > About > Software Version
# Should be 18.3 or higher