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CVE-2025-43520 · CVE record: PUBLISHED

Apple Multiple Products Classic Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

Apple iOS and iPadOS, Apple macOS, Apple tvOS, Apple visionOS, Apple watchOS

A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1. A malicious application may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.

Exploitation evidence

Known exploited · CISA KEV listed

Added 2026-03-20. Ransomware campaign use: Unknown.

CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

CISA due date: 2026-04-03. This is the catalog’s deadline, not an assessment of your organization’s exposure.

KEV checked 13 Nov 2026, 00:20 Jerusalem · Original catalog ↗

Reported products and versions

Apple / iOS and iPadOS

Default status: Not specified

affected: 0 to < 18.7.2 (custom)
affected: 0 to < 26.1 (custom)

Apple / macOS

Default status: Not specified

affected: 0 to < 14.8.2 (custom)
affected: 0 to < 15.7.2 (custom)
affected: 0 to < 26.1 (custom)

Apple / tvOS

Default status: Not specified

affected: 0 to < 26.1 (custom)

Apple / visionOS

Default status: Not specified

affected: 0 to < 26.1 (custom)

Apple / watchOS

Default status: Not specified

affected: 0 to < 26.1 (custom)

Fixes and workarounds

No explicit solution text in the downloaded CVE record. Consult the vendor advisory; unaffected version ranges are shown above as reported, not inferred as a patch recommendation.

Sources and related reporting

CVE Program record ↗ · Download tracked evidence as JSON

Observed change timeline

History begins when Egret first downloads each source. It is not the complete upstream CVE history.

12 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-12",
  "epss": 0.00441,
  "percentile": 0.38832
}

10 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-10",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.37116
}

09 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-09",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.37073
}

08 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-08",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.37056
}

07 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-07",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.37038
}

06 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-06",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.36984
}

06 Nov 2026, 06:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-05",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.36963
}

04 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-04",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.36944
}

03 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-03",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.36841
}

03 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · CVE Program record changed

Stored CNA snapshot at this observation.

{
  "containers": {
    "adp": [
      {
        "metrics": [
          {
            "cvssV3_1": {
              "attackComplexity": "LOW",
              "attackVector": "LOCAL",
              "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
              "baseScore": 5.5,
              "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
              "confidentialityImpact": "NONE",
              "integrityImpact": "NONE",
              "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
              "scope": "UNCHANGED",
              "userInteraction": "NONE",
              "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
              "version": "3.1"
            }
          },
          {
            "other": {
              "content": {
                "id": "CVE-2025-43520",
                "options": [
                  {
                    "Exploitation": "active"
                  },
                  {
                    "Automatable": "no"
                  },
                  {
                    "Technical Impact": "total"
                  }
                ],
                "role": "CISA Coordinator",
                "timestamp": "2026-03-21T04:01:02.724402Z",
                "version": "2.0.3"
              },
              "type": "ssvc"
            }
          },
          {
            "other": {
              "content": {
                "dateAdded": "2026-03-20",
                "reference": "https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-43520"
              },
              "type": "kev"
            }
          }
        ],
        "problemTypes": [
          {
            "descriptions": [
              {
                "cweId": "CWE-120",
                "description": "CWE-120 Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')",
                "lang": "en",
                "type": "CWE"
              }
            ]
          }
        ],
        "providerMetadata": {
          "dateUpdated": "2026-09-21T16:47:43.935Z",
          "orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
          "shortName": "CISA-ADP"
        },
        "references": [
          {
            "tags": [
              "third-party-advisory"
            ],
            "url": "https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/darksword-ios-exploit-chain/"
          },
          {
            "tags": [
              "government-resource"
            ],
            "url": "https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-43520"
          }
        ],
        "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
      }
    ],
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "iOS and iPadOS",
          "vendor": "Apple",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "18.7.2",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "custom"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "26.1",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "custom"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "product": "macOS",
          "vendor": "Apple",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "14.8.2",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "custom"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "15.7.2",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "custom"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "26.1",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "custom"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "product": "tvOS",
          "vendor": "Apple",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "26.1",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "custom"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "product": "visionOS",
          "vendor": "Apple",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "26.1",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "custom"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "product": "watchOS",
          "vendor": "Apple",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "26.1",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "custom"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1. A malicious application may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory."
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "description": "A malicious application may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory",
              "lang": "en"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-04-02T18:11:45.764Z",
        "orgId": "286789f9-fbc2-4510-9f9a-43facdede74c",
        "shortName": "apple"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125632"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125633"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125634"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125635"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125636"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125637"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125638"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125639"
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "286789f9-fbc2-4510-9f9a-43facdede74c",
    "assignerShortName": "apple",
    "cveId": "CVE-2025-43520",
    "datePublished": "2025-12-12T20:56:25.542Z",
    "dateReserved": "2025-04-16T15:27:21.196Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-09-21T16:47:43.935Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2"
}

03 Nov 2026, 02:22 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-02",
  "epss": 0.00425,
  "percentile": 0.36796
}

03 Nov 2026, 02:22 Jerusalem · CISA KEV status changed

Stored KEV snapshot at this observation.

{
  "cveID": "CVE-2025-43520",
  "cwes": [
    "CWE-120"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-03-20",
  "dueDate": "2026-04-03",
  "forensicTriage": "No",
  "knownRansomwareCampaignUse": "Unknown",
  "notes": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/125632 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125633 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125634 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125635 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125636 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125637 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125638 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125639 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-43520",
  "product": "Multiple Products",
  "requiredAction": "Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.",
  "shortDescription": "Apple watchOS, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and tvOS contain a classic buffer overflow vulnerability which could allow a malicious application to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.",
  "vendorProject": "Apple",
  "vulnerabilityName": "Apple Multiple Products Classic Buffer Overflow Vulnerability"
}

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