CVE-2025-24264: Apple Safari DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24264 Overview

CVE-2025-24264 is a critical memory handling vulnerability affecting Apple Safari and the WebKit engine across multiple Apple operating systems. The vulnerability exists in the way Safari processes web content, where maliciously crafted web content can trigger improper memory handling, leading to an unexpected browser crash. Due to the nature of memory corruption vulnerabilities in browser engines, this flaw could potentially be leveraged beyond denial of service in certain scenarios.

Critical Impact
Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash, with potential for further exploitation due to the underlying memory handling flaw.

Affected Products

Apple Safari (versions prior to 18.4)
Apple iPadOS (versions prior to 17.7.6 and 18.4)
Apple iOS (versions prior to 18.4)
Apple macOS Sequoia (versions prior to 15.4)
Apple tvOS (versions prior to 18.4)
Apple visionOS (versions prior to 2.4)

Discovery Timeline

March 31, 2025 - CVE-2025-24264 published to NVD
November 03, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24264

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption), though the nature of the flaw involves improper memory handling within the WebKit rendering engine. When Safari processes specially crafted web content, the browser fails to properly manage memory operations, resulting in memory corruption that triggers an unexpected crash.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely via the network without requiring any user privileges or interaction. An attacker can host malicious web content on a compromised or attacker-controlled website, and when a victim visits the page using an affected Safari browser, the malicious content triggers the memory handling flaw.

The impact extends across Apple's entire ecosystem, affecting not only Safari on macOS but also the WebKit-based browsers embedded in iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and visionOS. This broad attack surface makes the vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations with diverse Apple device deployments.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper memory handling within the WebKit engine when processing certain types of web content. The vulnerability occurs when the browser fails to properly allocate, manage, or deallocate memory resources during content rendering operations. This improper handling can lead to memory corruption states that result in browser crashes.

Apple addressed this issue by implementing improved memory handling mechanisms in the affected components, ensuring proper bounds checking and memory management during web content processing.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2025-24264 is network-based, requiring an attacker to deliver malicious web content to a victim's browser. Exploitation scenarios include:

Hosting malicious content on attacker-controlled websites
Injecting malicious payloads into compromised legitimate websites
Delivering malicious content through advertising networks or other content delivery mechanisms
Social engineering users to visit malicious URLs via phishing emails or messages

The vulnerability can be triggered without any user interaction beyond visiting the malicious page, making it particularly dangerous for drive-by attack scenarios.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24264

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected Safari browser crashes when visiting specific websites
Repeated WebKit process terminations in system logs
Unusual memory consumption patterns in Safari or WebKit processes
Crash reports indicating memory-related exceptions in WebKit components

Detection Strategies

Monitor system crash logs for Safari and WebKit-related crashes with memory corruption signatures
Implement network-level content inspection to identify potentially malicious web payloads
Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying browser exploitation attempts
Review browser process behavior for anomalous memory allocation patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable crash reporting and centralize crash logs from Safari across managed devices
Monitor network traffic for connections to known malicious domains serving exploit content
Implement web filtering solutions to block access to uncategorized or suspicious websites
Track Safari and system update status across the device fleet to identify unpatched systems

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24264

Immediate Actions Required

Update all affected Apple devices to the latest available operating system versions immediately
Update Safari to version 18.4 or later on macOS systems
Prioritize patching for devices that are regularly used for web browsing
Consider implementing web filtering to restrict access to untrusted websites until patches are applied

Patch Information

Apple has released security updates addressing CVE-2025-24264 across all affected platforms. The following versions include the fix:

Safari 18.4
iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4
iPadOS 17.7.6 (for older iPad devices)
macOS Sequoia 15.4
tvOS 18.4
visionOS 2.4

Organizations should apply these updates as soon as possible. Detailed patch information is available in the official Apple security advisories:

Linux distributions using WebKitGTK should also apply relevant updates. See the Debian LTS Announcement for Debian-specific guidance.

Workarounds

Use alternative browsers that do not rely on WebKit until patches can be applied
Implement strict web content filtering policies to block access to untrusted or uncategorized websites
Enable Lockdown Mode on iOS and macOS devices for high-risk users, which may provide additional protections
Disable JavaScript in Safari as a temporary measure (note: this will significantly impact web functionality)

bash

# Check Safari version on macOS
/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari --version

# Check iOS/iPadOS version via MDM or device
# Settings > General > About > Software Version

# For enterprise environments, use MDM to enforce updates
# Example: Jamf Pro command to push updates
sudo softwareupdate -i -a --restart