CVE-2025-30430 in visionOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in visionOS 2.4, iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4. Password autofill may fill in passwords after failing authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2025
This vulnerability represents a security flaw in Apple's operating systems where password autofill functionality exhibits improper state management following authentication failures. The issue manifests when the system fails to properly reset its internal state after an authentication attempt has been rejected, potentially leading to unintended password injection into applications or web forms. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple platforms including visionOS 2.4, iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4, indicating a widespread impact across the company's ecosystem. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a state transition vulnerability that could enable credential stuffing or replay attacks where previously rejected credentials might be automatically filled into subsequent authentication forms. The flaw essentially creates a race condition or state inconsistency where the system's password management subsystem does not properly distinguish between failed authentication attempts and legitimate credential usage scenarios. This behavior aligns with CWE-691, which addresses insufficient control flow management, and could potentially map to ATT&CK technique T1110.001 for credential access through brute force methods. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple usability issues to potential security implications where attackers could exploit the improper state handling to bypass authentication mechanisms or force password reuse in compromised sessions. The fix implemented in the updated versions addresses the root cause by improving the state management protocols within the password autofill subsystem, ensuring that failed authentication events properly terminate any active password fill operations and reset the system state appropriately.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for enterprise environments where password policies and multi-factor authentication are critical components of security frameworks. Organizations relying on Apple devices for business operations may face increased risk of unauthorized access if attackers can leverage this state management flaw to repeatedly attempt credential injection. The vulnerability particularly affects scenarios where users encounter authentication failures during web browsing or application login processes, potentially creating opportunities for attackers to harvest credentials through automated exploitation. System administrators should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader security posture assessment, particularly when evaluating the resilience of authentication workflows in mobile and desktop environments. The fix addresses the underlying architectural issue by implementing stricter state validation mechanisms that prevent password autofill from operating in contexts where authentication has previously failed, thereby eliminating the potential for credential leakage or unauthorized access through improper state transitions.
Security professionals should prioritize this vulnerability for remediation given its potential to create persistent access vectors through repeated authentication failures. The implementation of improved state management in the updated operating system versions demonstrates Apple's recognition of the security implications associated with improper credential handling. Organizations should ensure timely deployment of the patches across all affected platforms, particularly in environments where sensitive data access is prevalent. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper state management in security-critical components, as highlighted in industry best practices for secure software development. Network security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts that might leverage this vulnerability, especially in environments where automated credential testing tools are used. The fix's approach to state management improvement aligns with defensive programming principles and represents a proactive measure against potential credential-based attacks that could exploit similar state transition flaws in other authentication systems. This vulnerability underscores the necessity of comprehensive testing of authentication workflows and proper state validation in security-sensitive applications to prevent similar issues from emerging in future software releases.