CVE-2025-24213: Apple Safari Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24213 Overview

CVE-2025-24213 is a type confusion vulnerability affecting Apple Safari and multiple Apple operating systems including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of floating-point values, which can lead to memory corruption when processing specially crafted content.

Type confusion vulnerabilities occur when a program accesses a resource using an incompatible type, leading to logical errors and potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code or corrupt memory. In this case, the flaw exists in the float handling mechanism, which is fundamental to rendering and processing operations across Apple's software ecosystem.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution through memory corruption, potentially compromising user data and device integrity across the entire Apple ecosystem.

Affected Products

• Apple Safari (versions prior to 18.5)
• Apple iOS and iPadOS (versions prior to 18.5 and iPadOS 17.7.7)
• Apple macOS Sequoia (versions prior to 15.5)
• Apple tvOS (versions prior to 18.5)
• Apple watchOS (versions prior to 11.5)
• Apple visionOS (versions prior to 2.5)

Discovery Timeline

• March 31, 2025 - CVE-2025-24213 published to NVD
• November 3, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24213

Vulnerability Analysis

This type confusion vulnerability (CWE-843) arises from incorrect handling of floating-point data types within Apple's software components. When the affected code processes float values, it may incorrectly interpret the type of an object in memory, leading to memory corruption.

The attack requires local access and user interaction, meaning an attacker would need to craft malicious content that a user would need to open or interact with. Once triggered, the type confusion can allow an attacker to manipulate memory in ways that could lead to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected application.

The vulnerability affects the WebKit engine used by Safari and other Apple applications, making it particularly dangerous as WebKit is a core component used across the entire Apple ecosystem for rendering web content.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-24213 lies in improper type validation when handling floating-point values. The affected code fails to properly verify the type of objects before performing operations on them, allowing type confusion to occur when processing specially crafted input.

This type of vulnerability typically occurs when:

• Memory is allocated for one type but accessed as another
• Improper casting or conversion between data types
• Missing or insufficient type checking in dynamic language implementations
• JIT compiler optimizations that make incorrect type assumptions

Apple addressed this issue with improved handling of floats, implementing proper type validation before performing operations on float values.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2025-24213 requires local access with user interaction. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability through several methods:

• Crafting a malicious web page that triggers the type confusion when rendered by Safari or any WebKit-based application
• Embedding malicious content in documents or media files that are processed by vulnerable Apple applications
• Distributing applications that exploit the vulnerability when opened by the user

The type confusion vulnerability, when triggered, corrupts memory and can potentially be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution. An attacker successfully exploiting this vulnerability could gain the same privileges as the compromised application.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24213

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or instability in Safari, WebKit, or related Apple applications
• Unusual memory consumption patterns in browser processes
• Evidence of malicious web content attempting to trigger float handling anomalies
• Crash logs indicating memory corruption in WebKit or JavaScriptCore components

Detection Strategies

• Monitor application crash logs for patterns indicating memory corruption in WebKit components
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying type confusion exploitation attempts
• Implement web filtering to block known malicious domains attempting to exploit WebKit vulnerabilities
• Use behavioral analysis to detect anomalous process activity following web content rendering

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed crash reporting on Apple devices to capture exploitation attempts
• Monitor network traffic for connections to suspicious domains known for hosting exploit kits
• Implement SentinelOne's endpoint protection for real-time behavioral analysis of WebKit-based applications
• Review system logs for unexpected privilege escalation or code execution events

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24213

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all Apple devices to the latest operating system versions immediately
• Upgrade Safari to version 18.5 or later
• Review and restrict web browsing on unpatched devices to trusted sites only
• Enable automatic updates on all Apple devices to ensure timely patching

Patch Information

Apple has released security updates addressing CVE-2025-24213 in the following versions:

Administrators should prioritize applying these updates across all managed Apple devices. Detailed patch information is available through Apple Security Update #122404, Apple Security Update #122716, and related Apple security advisories. Debian users should also refer to the Debian LTS Announcement for WebKitGTK updates.

Workarounds

• Restrict web browsing on unpatched devices to essential trusted websites only
• Consider using alternative browsers on macOS that do not rely on WebKit while awaiting patches
• Implement network-level content filtering to block potentially malicious web content
• Disable JavaScript in Safari for non-essential browsing (note: this may break website functionality)
• Use mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce web content restrictions on iOS devices