CVE-2025-24154: Apple iPadOS Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24154 Overview

CVE-2025-24154 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability [CWE-787] affecting multiple Apple operating systems. The flaw stems from improper input validation in kernel-level code. An attacker exploiting this issue can cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory. Apple addressed the vulnerability by adding improved input validation across affected platforms.

The vulnerability impacts iOS, iPadOS, macOS Sequoia, macOS Sonoma, macOS Ventura, and visionOS. Apple released fixes in iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.7.3, and visionOS 2.3.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation can corrupt kernel memory or cause unexpected system termination, undermining integrity and availability of affected Apple devices.

Affected Products

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

Discovery Timeline

2025-01-27 - CVE-2025-24154 published to NVD
2026-04-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24154

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write [CWE-787] in an Apple operating system component. The affected code fails to properly validate input before writing data to memory. This allows an attacker to write beyond the bounds of an allocated buffer.

Apple's advisories describe the impact as unexpected system termination or kernel memory corruption. Memory corruption at the kernel layer can be leveraged to influence control flow or kernel data structures. The issue is also associated with selection of a less-secure algorithm during negotiation [CWE-757], indicating the write occurs while parsing or selecting attacker-influenced parameters.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient input validation on data processed by the affected component. When the component receives crafted input, it writes data past the end of a buffer. Apple's fix introduces improved input validation to constrain the write within expected bounds.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no user interaction or privileges. An attacker delivers crafted input to the vulnerable code path on a target device. Specific technical details have not been published by Apple beyond the advisory text. See the Apple Support Advisory #122066 and the Full Disclosure Mailing List Post #13 for additional context.

// No verified public exploit code is available for CVE-2025-24154.
// Apple has not released technical details beyond the advisory description.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24154

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected kernel panics, system restarts, or crash reports referencing the affected component on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or visionOS devices.
Repeated application or service crashes immediately following inbound network traffic to a device.
Crash logs in /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ on macOS containing kernel stack traces tied to input parsing routines.

Detection Strategies

Inventory all Apple endpoints and compare installed OS versions against the patched releases (iOS/iPadOS 18.3, macOS 15.3 / 14.7.3 / 13.7.3, visionOS 2.3).
Collect and centralize Apple device crash reports and kernel panic logs for analysis of recurring or anomalous terminations.
Monitor network traffic to unpatched Apple devices for unusual protocol traffic that correlates with crash events.

Monitoring Recommendations

Track Mobile Device Management (MDM) compliance reports for OS version drift across managed Apple fleets.
Alert on a spike in kernel panic submissions or ReportCrash activity across endpoints.
Correlate device crash timing with inbound network connections to detect potential exploitation attempts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24154

Immediate Actions Required

Update all Apple devices to iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.7.3, or visionOS 2.3 or later.
Enforce automatic updates through MDM policies for managed iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro devices.
Prioritize patching of internet-exposed and high-value Apple endpoints first given the network attack vector.

Patch Information

Apple released patches in iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.7.3, and visionOS 2.3. Refer to Apple's advisories: Apple Support Advisory #122066, Apple Support Advisory #122068, Apple Support Advisory #122069, Apple Support Advisory #122070, and Apple Support Advisory #122073.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workarounds exist. Patching is the only supported remediation.
Restrict network exposure of vulnerable devices using firewall policies and segmentation until updates are applied.
Disable or limit network services that process untrusted input on unpatched systems where feasible.

bash

# Verify macOS version on endpoints
sw_vers -productVersion

# Trigger software update check on macOS
sudo softwareupdate --list
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart