CVE-2025-24206: Apple iPadOS Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24206 Overview

CVE-2025-24206 is an authentication bypass vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating systems including macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and visionOS. The vulnerability stems from improper state management in the authentication handling process, which can allow an attacker on the local network to bypass authentication policies. Apple has addressed this issue with improved state management in several security updates released in April 2025.

Critical Impact

An attacker on the local network may be able to bypass authentication policy, potentially gaining unauthorized access to protected resources or services without proper credentials.

Affected Products

• Apple macOS Sequoia (versions prior to 15.4)
• Apple macOS Sonoma (versions prior to 14.7.5)
• Apple macOS Ventura (versions prior to 13.7.5)
• Apple iOS 18.x (versions prior to 18.4)
• Apple iPadOS 18.x (versions prior to 18.4)
• Apple iPadOS 17.x (versions prior to 17.7.6)
• Apple tvOS (versions prior to 18.4)
• Apple visionOS (versions prior to 2.4)

Discovery Timeline

• April 29, 2025 - CVE-2025-24206 published to NVD
• October 2, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24206

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel). The flaw exists in how Apple operating systems manage authentication state during network interactions. When authentication state is not properly maintained or validated, an attacker positioned on the local network can exploit race conditions or state inconsistencies to bypass authentication controls that would normally prevent unauthorized access.

The authentication bypass allows attackers to circumvent policy-based access restrictions without presenting valid credentials. This is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where authentication policies are relied upon to enforce access control to sensitive resources and services.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-24206 lies in improper state management within the authentication subsystem. The vulnerability occurs when the system fails to properly track and validate the authentication state across different stages of the authentication process. This creates a window of opportunity where an attacker can manipulate or bypass the authentication flow by exploiting inconsistencies in how the authentication state is maintained between network requests.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local network access, meaning the attacker must be positioned on the same network segment as the target device. From this position, the attacker can:

1. Intercept or observe authentication-related network traffic
2. Exploit timing windows where authentication state is improperly managed
3. Inject or manipulate requests that bypass authentication policy checks
4. Gain access to resources that should require proper authentication

The attack can be executed without requiring any user interaction or prior privileges on the target system, though it does require the attacker to have local network positioning.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24206

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected authentication successes from untrusted or unrecognized network sources
• Anomalous access patterns to protected services without corresponding valid authentication events
• Network traffic anomalies suggesting authentication flow manipulation
• Log entries showing successful resource access without matching authentication records

Detection Strategies

• Monitor authentication logs for inconsistencies between authentication attempts and successful access events
• Implement network monitoring to detect suspicious authentication-related traffic patterns on local network segments
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions to identify unusual service access behaviors
• Correlate authentication events with network flow data to identify potential bypass attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for authentication services across all affected Apple devices
• Implement real-time alerting for authentication anomalies in enterprise environments
• Monitor for unexpected connections to protected services from local network sources
• Review access logs periodically for signs of unauthorized resource access

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24206

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all affected Apple devices to the patched versions immediately
• Review authentication logs for any signs of exploitation prior to patching
• Implement network segmentation to limit local network attack surface
• Enable additional authentication factors where possible as a defense-in-depth measure

Patch Information

Apple has released security updates to address this vulnerability with improved state management. The following patched versions should be applied:

• macOS Sequoia: Update to version 15.4 or later - Apple Security Advisory #122373
• macOS Sonoma: Update to version 14.7.5 or later - Apple Security Advisory #122374
• macOS Ventura: Update to version 13.7.5 or later - Apple Security Advisory #122375
• iOS/iPadOS 18: Update to version 18.4 or later - Apple Security Advisory #122371
• iPadOS 17: Update to version 17.7.6 or later - Apple Security Advisory #122372
• tvOS: Update to version 18.4 or later - Apple Security Advisory #122377
• visionOS: Update to version 2.4 or later - Apple Security Advisory #122378

Workarounds

• Implement strict network segmentation to limit attacker positioning on local networks
• Enforce additional authentication layers (multi-factor authentication) for sensitive services
• Restrict local network access to trusted devices through network access control (NAC) solutions
• Monitor and audit authentication events more frequently until patches can be applied

# Verify macOS version to confirm patch status
sw_vers -productVersion
# Expected output: 15.4 (for Sequoia), 14.7.5 (for Sonoma), or 13.7.5 (for Ventura)

# Check for available updates
softwareupdate --list