CVE-2025-43342
Published: 15 September 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-43342 is a critical-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Apple Safari. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Drive-by Compromise (T1189); ranked in the top 37.4% 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-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Directly mitigates CVE-2025-43342 by requiring timely installation of patches to affected Apple software versions with improved checks for web content processing.
Addresses the CWE-20 improper input validation root cause by enforcing comprehensive checks on maliciously crafted web content to prevent process crashes.
Process isolation confines the impact of crashes from malformed web content to individual processes, limiting availability disruption.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Browser RCE/crash from crafted web content directly enables drive-by compromise and client-side exploitation.
NVD Description
A correctness issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in Safari 26, iOS 18.7 and iPadOS 18.7, iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, watchOS 26. Processing maliciously crafted web content may…
more
lead to an unexpected process crash.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-43342 is a correctness issue addressed with improved checks, affecting Safari 26, iOS 18.7 and iPadOS 18.7, iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash. The vulnerability has 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) and is associated with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation). It was published on 2025-09-15.
A remote attacker requires no privileges or user interaction to exploit this vulnerability over the network with low complexity. By inducing a victim to process maliciously crafted web content, such as via a malicious website or linked resource, the attacker can trigger an unexpected process crash, potentially impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability as scored by CVSS.
Apple security advisories confirm the issue is fixed in the listed software versions through improved checks. Mitigation involves updating to Safari 26, iOS 18.7 or later, iPadOS 18.7 or later, iOS 26 or later, iPadOS 26 or later, macOS Tahoe 26 or later, tvOS 26 or later, visionOS 26 or later, or watchOS 26 or later. Additional details are available in Apple's support documents: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125108, https://support.apple.com/en-us/125109, https://support.apple.com/en-us/125110, https://support.apple.com/en-us/125113, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/125114.
Details
- CWE(s)