Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-24154

Memory Safety in Apple Macos ≤ 13.7.3

Memory Safety
Published
27 January 2025
Modified
02 April 2026
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.012 64th percentile
Risk Priority 69 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-24154 is a critical-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Apple Macos. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Downgrade Attack (T1689); ranked in the top 36% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SC-13 (Cryptographic Protection) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2025-24154 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CWE-787, CWE-757) that was addressed through improved input validation in multiple Apple operating systems. The affected software includes iOS versions prior to 18.3, iPadOS versions prior to 18.3, macOS Sequoia versions prior to 15.3, macOS Sonoma versions prior to 14.7.3, macOS Ventura versions prior to 13.7.3, and visionOS versions prior to 2.3. Published on January 27, 2025, the flaw resides at the kernel level, enabling potential memory corruption.

The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H), indicating it is exploitable over the network with low complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and unchanged scope. Remote, unauthenticated attackers can leverage it to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory, resulting in high-impact availability disruption or integrity violations that could facilitate denial-of-service or serve as a primitive for further kernel exploitation.

Apple's security advisories, detailed in support documents such as https://support.apple.com/en-us/122066, https://support.apple.com/en-us/122068, https://support.apple.com/en-us/122069, https://support.apple.com/en-us/122070, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/122073, confirm the issue is fixed in the listed updates. Mitigation requires immediate patching 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, with no additional workarounds specified.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A04:2025 Cryptographic Failures

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An out-of-bounds write was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.7.3, visionOS 2.3. An attacker may be able to cause unexpected system termination…

more

or corrupt kernel memory.

CWE(s)
CWE-787CWE-757

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1689 Downgrade Attack Defense Impairment
Adversaries may downgrade or use a version of system features that may be outdated, vulnerable, and/or does not support updated security controls.
attack.mitre.org →
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1211 Exploitation for Stealth Stealth
Adversaries may exploit vulnerabilities to evade detection by hiding activity, suppressing logging, or operating within trusted or unmonitored components.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-27836Same product: Apple Ipados
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CVE-2025-24257Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2024-44245Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2022-22587Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2023-42871Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2024-23214Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2023-28206Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2023-27936Same product: Apple Ipados
CVE-2022-32917Same product: Apple Ipados

Affected Assets

apple
ipados
≤ 18.3
apple
iphone os
≤ 18.3
apple
macos
≤ 13.7.3 · 14.0 — 14.7.3 · 15.0 — 15.3
apple
visionos
≤ 2.3

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 7 hardening rules · 5 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V12.1.1
  • V12.2.1
  • V12.3.3
  • V17.2.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

Developer testing and evaluation (including fuzzing and bounds checks) finds out-of-bounds write flaws before deployment.

SC-13 Cryptographic Protection good match

Specifying and implementing required cryptography types directly precludes negotiation or acceptance of weaker algorithms.

SA-15 Development Process, Standards, and Tools partial match

Requiring documented secure-development standards and tools can mandate bounds-checked coding practices that avoid the weakness.

SC-8 Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity partial match

Requiring protection of transmitted confidentiality and integrity forces selection of sufficiently strong negotiated algorithms rather than weaker ones.

SI-10 Information Input Validation partial match

Input validation can structurally reject or sanitize data that would otherwise trigger an out-of-bounds write.

SI-16 Memory Protection partial match

Memory-protection mechanisms limit the exploitability and blast radius of a successful out-of-bounds write.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.

PR.AA-04 none match
prevents

PR.AA-04 addresses protection/verification of identity assertions in SSO/federation contexts while CWE-757 concerns protocol-level crypto algorithm negotiation, so the control neither prevents nor meaningfully mitigates the weakness.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.

A.8.21 Security of network services partial match
mitigates

Ensures network services use secure cryptographic parameters, reducing downgrade risk.

A.8.24 Use of cryptography partial match
prevents

Mandates use of strong, approved cryptographic algorithms, directly preventing downgrade to weaker ones.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Windows 10 (1 rule)
  • V-220938 The LanMan authentication level must be set to send NTLMv2 response only, and to refuse LM and NTLM. prevents CWE-757
Windows 11 (1 rule)
  • V-253462 The LanMan authentication level must be set to send NTLMv2 response only, and to refuse LM and NTLM. prevents CWE-757
Windows Server 2016 (1 rule)
  • V-225054 The LAN Manager authentication level must be set to send NTLMv2 response only and to refuse LM and NTLM. prevents CWE-757
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
  • V-205919 Windows Server 2019 LAN Manager authentication level must be configured to send NTLMv2 response only and to refuse LM and NTLM. prevents CWE-757
Windows Server 2022 (1 rule)
  • V-254475 Windows Server 2022 LAN Manager authentication level must be configured to send NTLMv2 response only and to refuse LM and NTLM. prevents CWE-757

References