CVE-2025-43186
Published: 30 July 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-43186 is a critical-severity Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer (CWE-119) vulnerability in Apple Macos. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked in the top 22.2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-16 (Memory Protection) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2025-43186 is a memory-handling vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems that is triggered when parsing a specially crafted file. The affected platforms include iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, and watchOS 11.6. The flaw is categorized under CWE-119 and carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8.
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit the issue over the network by supplying a malicious file that requires no user interaction. Successful exploitation can result in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the target system, although the vendor description notes only that the flaw produces unexpected application termination.
Apple security advisories for the listed platforms state that the issue has been resolved through improved memory handling and recommend installing the updates iOS 18.6, iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, and watchOS 11.6.
The associated EPSS score remains low and unchanged at 0.0104 with no material increase observed after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-23110
Vulnerability details
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7, tvOS 18.6, visionOS 2.6, watchOS 11.6. Parsing a file may lead to an…
more
unexpected app termination.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Buffer overflow in file parser enables remote client-side code execution via crafted file (no user interaction).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Implements memory protections like ASLR and DEP to directly mitigate memory corruption vulnerabilities such as CWE-119 during file parsing.
Requires timely identification, reporting, and patching of flaws like CVE-2025-43186, aligning with Apple's release of fixed OS versions.
Validates file inputs prior to parsing to block maliciously crafted files that trigger memory handling issues.