CVE-2025-31257

Vulnerability

Overview

CVE-2025-31257 is a memory handling issue in Apple's WebKit engine that affects Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. The vulnerability is triggered when processing maliciously crafted web content, leading to an unexpected Safari crash [2]. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling in the respective operating system updates [1].

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by hosting a specially crafted web page that, when visited by a user on an affected system, causes the Safari browser to crash. No additional privileges or user interaction beyond visiting the malicious page are required [2]. The attack vector is remote and over the network, as the user simply needs to load the crafted content.

Impact

The impact of successful exploitation is a denial of service (DoS) condition, as Safari terminates unexpectedly. While the vulnerability does not by itself enable arbitrary code execution or data exfiltration, it can disrupt user productivity and potentially be used as part of a chain attack. The CVSS v3 base score of 4.7 (Medium) reflects the limited confidentiality and integrity impact but a significant availability impact [1][2].

Mitigation

Apple has released patches for this vulnerability in Safari 18.5, iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, macOS Sequoia 15.5, tvOS 18.5, visionOS 2.5, and watchOS 11.5 on May 12, 2025 [1][2][3][4]. Users are strongly advised to update their devices to the latest available versions. There are no known workarounds; the only mitigation is to apply the security updates.