CVE-2025-43520
Apple iOS and iPadOS, Apple macOS, Apple tvOS
Published 12 Dec 2025 · updated 30 Sept 2026 · Analyzed
Exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 20 Mar 2026, with a remediation deadline of 3 Apr 2026 for US federal agencies.
Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Description
A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1. A malicious application may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.
References
- support.apple.com/en-us/125632 · Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- support.apple.com/en-us/125633 · Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- support.apple.com/en-us/125634 · Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- support.apple.com/en-us/125635 · Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- support.apple.com/en-us/125636 · Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- support.apple.com/en-us/125637 · Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- support.apple.com/en-us/125638 · Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- support.apple.com/en-us/125639 · Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/darksword-ios-exploit-chain/ · Technical Description
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-43520 · US Government Resource