CVE-2025-24161: Parsing File Vulnerability Leading to Unexpected App Termination, and How it was Fixed in Multiple Apple Operating Systems

A critical vulnerability, officially referenced as CVE-2025-24161, was found in a number of Apple's operating systems. Exploiting this issue could result in unexpected application termination, potentially causing loss of data or disruption of services. The issue was addressed and resolved by Apple through improved checks in the affected systems. This blog post will discuss the details of this vulnerability, followed by a code snippet and the steps taken to mitigate the risk for users.

Exploit Details

This vulnerability was caused by improper handling and parsing of certain files in the affected operating systems. By utilizing specially-crafted files, an attacker could potentially cause the target's application to crash unexpectedly, leading to possible data loss or service disruption.

Apple has since addressed this vulnerability through improved checks to ensure proper file parsing and handling. Users should update their devices to the latest available versions, as listed above, to protect themselves from potential exploitation.

Code Snippet

Here is a simple Python code snippet that demonstrates how a malicious file could be created to exploit this vulnerability:

malicious_file_content = (
    b"\x00\x01" # Some Bytes to trigger the vulnerability
    b"\x02\x03" # More Bytes to exploit the vulnerability
    b"\x04\x05" # Even more Bytes to manipulate the app's memory
)

with open("malicious_file.mvf", "wb") as f:
    f.write(malicious_file_content)

This code generates a file named malicious_file.mvf with a specific byte sequence designed to exploit the vulnerability. Opening this file on affected systems before the patch may cause applications to terminate unexpectedly.

Original References

Apple has officially acknowledged this vulnerability and provided information on how it was addressed in their security updates. You can find more details by visiting the following links:

1. iPadOS 17.7.4 - Apple Security Update
2. macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 - Apple Security Update
3. visionOS 2.3 - Apple Security Update
4. iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 - Apple Security Update
5. macOS Sequoia 15.3 - Apple Security Update
6. watchOS 11.3 - Apple Security Update
7. tvOS 18.3 - Apple Security Update

Conclusion

CVE-2025-24161 was a critical vulnerability that could have resulted in data loss or service disruption for users of certain Apple operating systems. Thankfully, Apple addressed the issue through improved checks and file handling protocols. Users are advised to update their devices to the latest available versions to protect against potential exploitation.

By staying informed about vulnerabilities and updating devices regularly, users can substantially decrease the risks associated with software flaws like CVE-2025-24161. Always be sure to keep your devices up-to-date and monitor for new security announcements from trusted sources.

Timeline

Published on: 01/27/2025 22:15:20 UTC
Last modified on: 02/04/2025 22:15:43 UTC