CVE-2025-24160

Vulnerability

Overview

CVE-2025-24160 is a logic or input validation issue in Apple's parsing of files that could lead to unexpected app termination. The official description states the issue was resolved with improved checks, and it is fixed in iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, and watchOS 11.3 [1][2][3][4].

Attack

Surface and Exploitation

The vulnerability can be triggered by processing a crafted file; no authentication is required for the parsing event, but the attacker would need to deliver the file to the target device. The related CVEs referenced in Apple's advisories (CVE-2025-24126, CVE-2025-24137, CVE-2025-24179) indicate that an attacker on the local network may also corrupt process memory or cause a denial-of-service, while this particular CVE focuses on app termination [1][3][4].

Impact

Successful exploitation results in an unexpected app termination, effectively a denial-of-service condition. This could disrupt user workflows, cause data loss if unsaved changes are present, and might be leveraged in a multi-step attack to destabilize the system.

Mitigation

Apple has released patches for all affected platforms as of January 27, 2025. Users should update to the latest OS versions listed above. No workarounds are documented; applying the updates is the recommended mitigation [1][2][3][4].