Overview
In this post, we delve into the nitty-gritty aspects of a critical cybersecurity vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-24252. This vulnerability primarily affects users of the macOS and tvOS platforms, along with a few other related systems. The flaw in question is a use-after-free issue, which has been effectively addressed through improved memory management in later versions of these operating systems. The consequences of this vulnerability are significant, given its potential to allow an attacker on the local network to corrupt process memory, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-24252
Severity: Critical (9.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System Compromise, Data Leakage
Affected Products
No phone number, email, or personal info required.
Product | Affected Versions
macOS Sequoia | Up to 15.3
tvOS | Up to 18.3
macOS Ventura | Up to 13.7.4
iPadOS | Up to 17.7.5
macOS Sonoma | Up to 14.7.4
iOS | Up to 18.3
iPadOS | Up to 18.3
visionOS | Up to 2.3
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from a use-after-free issue in the memory management of the affected systems. A use-after-free issue occurs when a piece of memory is used after it has been freed. This can lead to various types of exploits, such as executing arbitrary code or causing a denial of service. In this case, an attacker on the local network can exploit this issue to corrupt process memory, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. Please note that this is a high-level representation and the exact exploit would vary depending on the system configuration and network setup:
# Attacker sends a request to a system process that uses the vulnerable memory space
send_request("system_process", "trigger_use_after_free")
# The system process uses the freed memory space, corrupting the process memory
corrupt_memory("system_process")
# The attacker gains unauthorized access or leaks data
exploit("system_process")In response to this vulnerability, it is strongly recommended to apply vendor patches or use Web Application Firewalls (WAF) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) as temporary mitigation. However, the most effective solution is to update affected systems to the versions where the issue has been fixed.