CVE-2025-43222
Published: 30 July 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-43222 is a critical-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) 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 at the 33.1th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); 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).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Mandates timely identification, reporting, and correction of flaws like this use-after-free vulnerability through patching to fixed OS versions.
Implements memory protections such as ASLR and DEP that directly prevent or hinder exploitation of use-after-free memory corruption.
Requires vulnerability scanning to identify instances of CVE-2025-43222, enabling prompt remediation before exploitation.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Remote use-after-free enables client-side exploitation for code execution or app termination (T1203).
NVD Description
A use-after-free issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in iPadOS 17.7.9, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.7.7. An attacker may be able to cause unexpected app termination.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-43222 is a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) affecting Apple's iPadOS and macOS operating systems. The issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code and is fixed in iPadOS 17.7.9, macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7, and macOS Ventura 13.7.7. It was published on 2025-07-30.
The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), making it remotely exploitable over a network with low attack complexity, no required privileges or user interaction, and high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. An attacker may be able to cause unexpected app termination.
Apple's security advisories confirm the fix through code removal in the listed updates, with details available at https://support.apple.com/en-us/124148, https://support.apple.com/en-us/124149, https://support.apple.com/en-us/124150, https://support.apple.com/en-us/124151, and http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jul/31. Security practitioners should prioritize patching affected systems to the specified versions.
Details
- CWE(s)