CVE-2025-24154: Apple iPadOS Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24154 Overview

CVE-2025-24154 is a critical out-of-bounds write vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating systems including macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation, which allows an attacker to write data beyond the intended memory boundaries. Successful exploitation could enable an attacker to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory, potentially leading to system instability or more severe security implications.

This out-of-bounds write flaw (CWE-787) represents a serious threat to Apple device users, as kernel memory corruption can undermine the fundamental security guarantees of the operating system. Apple has addressed this vulnerability through improved input validation mechanisms in the affected software versions.

Critical Impact

An attacker may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory through network-based exploitation without requiring user interaction or authentication.

Affected Products

• Apple macOS Ventura (versions prior to 13.7.3)
• Apple macOS Sonoma (versions prior to 14.7.3)
• Apple macOS Sequoia (versions prior to 15.3)
• Apple iOS and iPadOS (versions prior to 18.3)
• Apple visionOS (versions prior to 2.3)

Discovery Timeline

• January 27, 2025 - CVE-2025-24154 published to NVD
• November 3, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24154

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-24154 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability classified under CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write). The vulnerability occurs when the affected Apple operating systems fail to properly validate input data before writing to kernel memory buffers. This improper input validation allows an attacker to write data past the boundaries of allocated memory regions within the kernel address space.

The network attack vector indicates that this vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring local access to the target device. The exploitation does not require any user interaction or prior authentication, making it particularly dangerous for exposed systems. Successful exploitation results in high impact to both integrity and availability of the affected systems, as kernel memory corruption can lead to arbitrary code execution in the kernel context, system crashes, or persistent denial of service conditions.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-24154 lies in insufficient input validation within kernel-level code paths across Apple's operating systems. The vulnerability is additionally associated with CWE-757 (Selection of Less-Secure Algorithm During Negotiation), suggesting that the vulnerable code path may be triggered through specific protocol negotiation scenarios.

When processing certain input data, the kernel fails to properly verify buffer boundaries before performing write operations. This allows attackers to craft malicious input that causes the kernel to write beyond the allocated memory buffer, potentially overwriting adjacent kernel data structures, function pointers, or other critical memory regions.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network with low attack complexity. An attacker does not require any privileges or user interaction to exploit this flaw. The attack can be conducted remotely against any vulnerable Apple device that is network-accessible.

The exploitation mechanism involves sending specially crafted network packets or data to the target device. When the vulnerable kernel component processes this malicious input, the out-of-bounds write occurs, potentially corrupting critical kernel memory structures. This could result in:

• Immediate system termination (kernel panic)
• Corruption of kernel memory leading to unstable system behavior
• Potential privilege escalation if specific memory structures are targeted
• Persistent denial of service requiring manual intervention to recover

Technical details regarding specific exploitation techniques can be found in the Full Disclosure mailing list archives.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24154

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected kernel panics or system crashes without apparent cause
• System log entries indicating memory corruption or invalid memory access in kernel space
• Unusual network traffic patterns targeting Apple devices on exposed network services
• Core dumps showing kernel memory corruption signatures

Detection Strategies

• Monitor system logs (/var/log/system.log on macOS) for kernel panic events and memory corruption indicators
• Implement network intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for anomalous traffic targeting Apple services
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting kernel-level anomalies
• Use SentinelOne's behavioral AI to identify exploitation attempts targeting kernel memory

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable kernel event monitoring on all Apple devices within the enterprise environment
• Configure centralized log aggregation to correlate system crash events across the fleet
• Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable devices to untrusted networks
• Review Apple's security advisories regularly for updated threat intelligence on this vulnerability

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24154

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all affected Apple devices to the patched versions immediately (macOS Ventura 13.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, iOS/iPadOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3)
• Prioritize patching network-exposed devices and systems handling sensitive data
• Audit device inventory to identify all systems running vulnerable Apple operating system versions
• Implement network access controls to limit exposure of unpatched devices

Patch Information

Apple has released security updates addressing this vulnerability across all affected platforms. Organizations should apply the following updates:

Workarounds

• Implement strict network segmentation to isolate vulnerable Apple devices from untrusted networks
• Deploy network-level filtering to block potentially malicious traffic targeting Apple services
• Enable firewall rules on affected devices to restrict inbound network connections to essential services only
• Consider temporary network isolation of unpatched critical systems until updates can be applied

# Example: Enable macOS firewall via command line
sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setglobalstate on
sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setblockall on
sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setallowsigned off