CVE-2025-43510 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2025
A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved lock state checking. This issue is fixed in watchOS 26.1, iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1. A malicious application may cause unexpected changes in memory shared between processes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2026
This memory corruption vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Apple's operating systems that stems from inadequate lock state validation mechanisms within the kernel memory management subsystem. The issue manifests when a malicious application attempts to exploit improper synchronization primitives that govern access to shared memory regions between different processes. According to the security advisory, the vulnerability was addressed through enhanced lock state checking procedures that prevent unauthorized memory modifications. The fix specifically targets scenarios where process isolation mechanisms fail to properly validate the state of memory locks before allowing access to shared resources. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-119 weakness category, which encompasses memory safety issues related to improper access to memory regions and inadequate bounds checking. The vulnerability's impact extends across multiple Apple platforms including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS, indicating a systemic issue within the operating system's memory management architecture.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are severe as it allows a malicious application to potentially manipulate memory structures that should remain protected from unauthorized access. When a process attempts to access shared memory without proper lock validation, it can lead to arbitrary code execution or information disclosure. The security implications align with ATT&CK technique T1055 which covers process injection and memory manipulation techniques. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges or compromise the integrity of other running processes by exploiting the improper lock state checking. The shared memory corruption could enable attackers to modify critical system data structures or inject malicious code into legitimate processes, effectively bypassing the normal security boundaries that separate applications from each other and from the core operating system. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the kernel level where the attacker gains access to system resources that are normally protected from user-space applications.
The remediation implemented by Apple involves strengthening the lock state validation mechanisms that govern memory access between processes. This enhancement ensures that before any memory modification operations occur, the system properly verifies the lock state of the target memory region. The fix addresses the root cause by implementing more rigorous checks that prevent memory corruption scenarios where shared memory could be modified by unauthorized processes. The security update applies across all supported Apple operating systems including iOS 18.7.2, iPadOS 18.7.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, indicating that Apple has implemented a comprehensive solution that covers all platforms where this memory management flaw existed. Organizations should prioritize deploying these updates immediately as the vulnerability represents a potential pathway for privilege escalation and system compromise. The fix essentially hardens the memory management subsystem against race conditions and improper synchronization that could lead to memory corruption and unauthorized access to shared resources between processes.