Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-43300

Memory Safety in Apple Ipados ≤ 15.8.5

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedPublic PoCMemory Safety
Published
21 August 2025
Modified
17 June 2026
KEV Added
21 August 2025
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 10.0
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.20 97th percentile
Risk Priority 100 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-43300 is a critical-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Apple Ipados. Its CVSS base score is 10.0 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — 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.

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CWE-787) exists in Apple's image processing code across multiple platforms. It affects iOS and iPadOS versions prior to 15.8.5, 16.7.12, 18.6.2, and 17.7.10, as well as macOS Ventura through 13.7.8, Sonoma through 14.7.8, and Sequoia through 15.6.1. The flaw allows memory corruption when a malicious image file is processed and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 10.0.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger the issue simply by supplying a crafted image that the victim device renders, achieving arbitrary memory corruption with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. No user interaction beyond viewing or receiving the image is required.

Apple has released fixes in the versions listed above and published corresponding security advisories. The updates address the root cause through improved bounds checking.

Apple states it is aware of reporting that the vulnerability has been used in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals. The associated EPSS score remains low and essentially flat near 0.044.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.8.5 and iPadOS 15.8.5, iOS 16.7.12 and iPadOS 16.7.12, iOS 18.6.2 and iPadOS 18.6.2, iPadOS 17.7.10, macOS Sequoia 15.6.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.8, macOS Ventura…

more

13.7.8. Processing a malicious image file may result in memory corruption. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals.

CWE(s)
CWE-787
KEV Date Added
21 August 2025

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

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 →
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2022-22587Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2023-28206Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2022-32917Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2021-30900Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2022-32894Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2023-32435Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2021-30807Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2022-42827Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2022-22675Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2020-27930Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV

Affected Assets

apple
ipados
≤ 15.8.5 · 16.0 — 16.7.12 · 17.0 — 17.7.10
apple
iphone os
≤ 15.8.5 · 16.0 — 16.7.12 · 17.0 — 18.6.2
apple
macos
13.0 — 13.7.8 · 14.0 — 14.7.8 · 15.0 — 15.6.1

Mitigating Controls

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.

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.

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.

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.8.25 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.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.

A.8.32 Change management partial match
prevents

Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.

References