CVE-2025-43385: Apple iPadOS Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-43385 Overview

CVE-2025-43385 is an out-of-bounds access vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS. The flaw resides in media file processing logic, where insufficient bounds checking allows a maliciously crafted media file to trigger memory corruption or unexpected application termination. Apple addressed the issue with improved bounds checking. The vulnerability is tracked under [CWE-125] (Out-of-Bounds Read) and requires user interaction to exploit, such as opening or previewing a crafted media file.

Critical Impact
Processing a maliciously crafted media file may lead to unexpected app termination or corrupt process memory on affected Apple devices.

Affected Products

Apple iOS (fixed in iOS 18.7.2 and iOS 26.1)
Apple iPadOS (fixed in iPadOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 26.1)
Apple macOS (fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.7.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.1)
Apple tvOS 26.1 and visionOS 26.1

Discovery Timeline

2025-11-04 - CVE-2025-43385 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43385

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-43385 is an out-of-bounds access defect in an Apple media parsing component shared across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS. When the affected code parses a specially crafted media file, it reads or accesses memory outside the intended buffer boundaries. This leads to two observable outcomes: unexpected termination of the processing application, or corruption of adjacent process memory.

Memory corruption bugs in media parsers are historically valuable to attackers because media files often traverse messaging, browser, and preview surfaces. On Apple platforms, media handling occurs in privileged frameworks that many applications inherit. A successful trigger does not require credentials, but it does require the user to open, preview, or otherwise process the malicious file.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds validation during media file parsing. The affected routine trusts size or offset fields derived from attacker-controlled input and dereferences memory beyond the allocated buffer. Apple's advisories state the fix was applied through improved bounds checking in the affected parser.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is network-adjacent but requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a crafted media file through email, messaging, a website, or a shared file. When the target opens or previews the file, the vulnerable parser executes and the out-of-bounds access occurs. The scored impact is limited to availability, meaning the primary observable effect is application crash or process memory corruption rather than direct code execution or data disclosure.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. See the Apple Support Document #125632 and related advisories for authoritative technical references.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43385

Indicators of Compromise

Repeated unexpected crashes of media-handling applications such as Preview, QuickLook, Messages, or Safari when opening files from untrusted sources.
Crash reports in ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ referencing media framework libraries with EXC_BAD_ACCESS or out-of-bounds signatures.
Delivery of unsolicited media attachments through email, messaging, or file-sharing services immediately preceding crash events.

Detection Strategies

Monitor endpoint telemetry for abnormal termination of applications that invoke Apple media parsing frameworks.
Correlate crash log generation with recent file downloads or message attachments to identify potential exploitation attempts.
Inspect inbound email and messaging gateways for anomalous or malformed media file types targeting Apple clients.

Monitoring Recommendations

Centralize macOS and iOS crash diagnostic data into a SIEM or data lake for pattern analysis across the fleet.
Track OS version distribution across managed devices to identify endpoints still running pre-patch builds.
Alert on clusters of crashes affecting the same media framework across multiple users, which may indicate a coordinated delivery campaign.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43385

Immediate Actions Required

Update Apple devices to iOS 18.7.2, iPadOS 18.7.2, iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, or visionOS 26.1.
Enforce automatic updates through Mobile Device Management (MDM) policies to accelerate rollout across managed endpoints.
Advise users to avoid opening unsolicited media files from unknown senders until patching is complete.

Patch Information

Apple released fixes across its platform family in the November 2025 security updates. Refer to Apple Support Document #125632, Apple Support Document #125633, Apple Support Document #125634, Apple Support Document #125635, Apple Support Document #125637, and Apple Support Document #125638 for platform-specific details.

Workarounds

Restrict automatic previews of media attachments in messaging and email clients on unpatched devices.
Use email and web gateways to filter or sandbox media file types delivered from untrusted external senders.
Isolate high-risk users on unpatched devices from external file sharing until updates are deployed.

bash

# Verify installed macOS version and prompt for pending updates
sw_vers -productVersion
sudo softwareupdate --list
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart