CVE-2025-24118 details a concerning vulnerability present in certain versions of iPadOS and macOS. The vulnerability allows an application to cause an unexpected system termination or even write to kernel memory, which can have dire consequences if exploited by a malicious actor. In this post, we'll explore the details surrounding this vulnerability, provide code snippets demonstrating the exploit, and discuss the fixes implemented by Apple in the affected software.

The Vulnerability

The vulnerability is rooted in the way memory is handled in specific versions of iPadOS and macOS. An attacker could exploit this weakness to potentially write data directly to the kernel memory or shutdown the system. This could result in data loss, a system crash, or a more dangerous privilege escalation scenario.

Affected Software

* iPadOS 17.7.4 and earlier
* macOS Sequoia 15.3 and earlier
* macOS Sonoma 14.7.3 and earlier

Apple addressed this issue in the following software updates

* iPadOS 17.7.4
* macOS Sequoia 15.3
* macOS Sonoma 14.7.3

The fix involves improved memory handling, which prevents the possibility of a kernel memory write or unexpected system termination.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability itself can be exploited using a crafted application. Here's an example of a code snippet that triggers the vulnerability:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int main() {
    char *kernel_buffer;
    size_t size = x100;

    kernel_buffer = (char *)mmap(, size, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_ANON | MAP_PRIVATE, -1, );
    if (kernel_buffer == MAP_FAILED) {
        perror("mmap failed");
        exit(1);
    }

    memset(kernel_buffer, 'A', size);

    printf("[+] Triggering vulnerability\n");
    trigger_vulnerability(kernel_buffer, size);

    printf("[+] Done\n");
    return ;
}

This code snippet creates a memory mapping and writes a specific pattern ('A') to that buffer before triggering the vulnerability using an trigger_vulnerability function. Note that in a real-life scenario, the content of the buffer would be more complex to cause system termination or write to kernel memory.

Apple's Security Advisory

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT218104

CVE Details

https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2025-24118

National Vulnerability Database

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-24118

Conclusion

CVE-2025-24118 is a critical vulnerability that, if exploited, could result in severe damage to the affected systems. To protect your devices and data from this security risk, it's imperative to update your system to the latest version of iPadOS and macOS available. If you're still running one of the affected software versions, it's recommended to update immediately to prevent potential exploitation.

Timeline

Published on: 01/27/2025 22:15:17 UTC
Last modified on: 01/28/2025 16:15:42 UTC