CVE-2025-24166 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 01/28/2025
This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.7.3, visionOS 2.3, iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, watchOS 11.3, tvOS 18.3. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2025
This vulnerability represents a state management issue that could potentially be exploited through maliciously crafted web content, leading to unexpected process crashes within Apple's operating systems. The flaw demonstrates the critical importance of robust state handling mechanisms in modern operating systems where web content processing can trigger memory management errors that result in application instability. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple platforms including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS, indicating a systemic issue in how these operating systems handle state transitions during web content processing. The issue was addressed through improved state management protocols, suggesting that the original implementation had insufficient safeguards to prevent improper state transitions when encountering malformed or malicious web content. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of memory safety issues that can lead to denial of service conditions or potentially more severe exploitation scenarios. The fix required updates across multiple operating system versions, demonstrating the complexity of state management across different platform architectures and the need for coordinated security patches.
The technical nature of this vulnerability relates to improper handling of application states during web content processing, which can result in memory corruption or invalid state transitions that cause processes to terminate unexpectedly. From a cybersecurity perspective, this issue aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack tree model where web-based attacks can escalate to system-level instability. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the intersection of web rendering and system state management, where malformed content can trigger cascading failures in process management. The fact that this issue was resolved through improved state management rather than more complex security mitigations suggests that the root cause was in the orchestration of system resources rather than fundamental architectural flaws. This approach to remediation reflects the standard practice of addressing state management issues through enhanced validation and proper resource cleanup mechanisms, which is consistent with established security frameworks and best practices for preventing memory-related vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as unexpected process crashes can potentially be leveraged in more sophisticated attack scenarios or may indicate underlying system instability that could be exploited by adversaries. When processes crash unexpectedly, they may leave behind inconsistent state information or temporary files that could be manipulated by attackers to gain additional system access. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Apple's ecosystem, meaning that organizations and individuals using multiple Apple devices may face similar risks across their computing environments. Security teams must consider this vulnerability when assessing risk across their Apple device fleets, particularly in environments where web browsing is prevalent or where devices may be exposed to untrusted content. The patch distribution across multiple operating system versions indicates that Apple recognized the widespread nature of the state management issue and implemented coordinated fixes to prevent exploitation across all affected platforms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate deployment of the available security updates across all affected operating systems, as well as monitoring for unusual process crash patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect potentially malicious web content that could trigger the vulnerability, particularly in environments where users have access to untrusted websites. The fix addresses the root cause through enhanced state management rather than workarounds, which provides a more permanent solution to the underlying issue. Security teams should also consider implementing additional web filtering measures and user education programs to reduce exposure to malicious web content that could trigger similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's resolution through improved state management aligns with industry standards and best practices for memory safety, particularly those related to the prevention of buffer overflows and memory corruption issues. This approach to vulnerability remediation is consistent with the principles outlined in the common weakness enumeration framework where state management issues are classified as critical security concerns requiring systematic architectural improvements rather than simple code patches.