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Known Exploited Vulnerability
7.1
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2025-43520
Apple Multiple Products Classic Buffer Overflow Vulnerability - [Actively Exploited]
Overview
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.

Details
INFO

Published Date :

Dec. 12, 2025, 9:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

April 3, 2026, 2:28 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

[email protected]
CISA Notification
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

For the benefit of the cybersecurity community and network defenders—and to help every organization better manage vulnerabilities and keep pace with threat activity—CISA maintains the authoritative source of vulnerabilities that have been exploited in the wild.

Description :

Apple watchOS, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and tvOS contain a classic buffer overflow vulnerability which could allow a malicious application to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.

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.

Known Ransomware Campaign Use:

Unknown

Notes :

https://support.apple.com/en-us/125632 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125633 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125634 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125635 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125636 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125637 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125638 ; https://support.apple.com/en-us/125639 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-43520

Impact
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2025-43520 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Apple macos
2 Apple iphone_os
3 Apple tvos
4 Apple watchos
5 Apple ipados
6 Apple visionos
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 6
Scoring
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
Update devices to patched software versions to fix memory handling issues and prevent system termination.
  • Update watchOS to version 26.1.
  • Update iOS to version 18.7.2 or 26.1.
  • Update iPadOS to version 18.7.2 or 26.1.
  • Update macOS to version 26.1, 14.8.2, or 15.7.2.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github

CVE-2025-43520 has a 4 public PoC/Exploit available at Github. Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.

References
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2025-43520.

URL Resource
https://support.apple.com/en-us/125632 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/125633 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/125634 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/125635 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/125636 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/125637 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/125638 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/125639 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/darksword-ios-exploit-chain/ Technical Description
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-43520 US Government Resource
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-43520 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-43520 weaknesses.

CAPEC-8: Buffer Overflow in an API Call Buffer Overflow in an API Call CAPEC-9: Buffer Overflow in Local Command-Line Utilities Buffer Overflow in Local Command-Line Utilities CAPEC-10: Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables CAPEC-14: Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow CAPEC-24: Filter Failure through Buffer Overflow Filter Failure through Buffer Overflow CAPEC-42: MIME Conversion MIME Conversion CAPEC-44: Overflow Binary Resource File Overflow Binary Resource File CAPEC-45: Buffer Overflow via Symbolic Links Buffer Overflow via Symbolic Links CAPEC-46: Overflow Variables and Tags Overflow Variables and Tags CAPEC-47: Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion CAPEC-67: String Format Overflow in syslog() String Format Overflow in syslog() CAPEC-92: Forced Integer Overflow Forced Integer Overflow CAPEC-100: Overflow Buffers Overflow Buffers

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Profile Photo
smolk19841984-design/darksword-jailbreak-ios-7.3.1

None

Makefile Python Shell Batchfile Objective-C C

Updated: 3 days, 2 hours ago
1 stars 1 fork 1 watcher
Born at : April 4, 2026, 1:47 p.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
friddiman14514/CVE_Tracker

Vulnerability tracking repository

Updated: 2 weeks, 1 day ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : March 24, 2026, 5:26 a.m. This repo has been linked 5 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
0xcrypto/apple-cves

None

Python

Updated: 3 weeks, 3 days ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : Jan. 26, 2026, 8:17 a.m. This repo has been linked 2857 different CVEs too.
Profile Photo
DevGreick/devgreick

None

Python

Updated: 3 days, 3 hours ago
1 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : Oct. 29, 2024, 8:10 p.m. This repo has been linked 11 different CVEs too.

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2025-43520 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

  • CybersecurityNews
DarkSword Exploit Chain That Can Hack Millions of iPhones Leaked Online

A powerful iOS exploit toolkit known as DarkSword has been publicly leaked on GitHub, dramatically lowering the barrier for cybercriminals to target hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads still run ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 24, 2026 (2 weeks, 1 day ago)
  • CybersecurityNews
CISA Warns of Apple Vulnerabilities Linked to DarkSword iOS Exploit Chain Exploited in Attacks

CISA Warns Apple Vulnerabilities Linked to DarkSword iOS Exploit Chain An urgent warning regarding three critical Apple vulnerabilities that threat actors are actively exploiting in the wild. These se ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 23, 2026 (2 weeks, 2 days ago)
  • Daily CyberSecurity
The Weekly Breach: 7 Maximum CVSS Flaws and the DarkSword Exploit Unveiled

The past seven days have been an exceptionally busy period for cybersecurity defenders. Between March 16 and March 23, a staggering 1,348 new vulnerabilities were identified and logged. While the shee ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 23, 2026 (2 weeks, 2 days ago)
  • Daily CyberSecurity
Unmasking DarkSword: GTIG Exposes Full-Chain iOS Exploit Used by Global Spies

Timeline of DarkSword observations and vulnerability patches | Image: GTIG In a comprehensive technical disclosure, the Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has revealed the existence of a highly s ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 22, 2026 (2 weeks, 3 days ago)
  • Daily CyberSecurity
Active Exploits: CISA Adds Critical Craft CMS and Apple ‘DarkSword’ Flaws to KEV

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has expanded its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, adding five high-impact flaws that are currently being weaponized by threat ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 21, 2026 (2 weeks, 3 days ago)
  • The Hacker News
CISA Flags Apple, Craft CMS, Laravel Bugs in KEV, Orders Patching by April 3, 2026

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Friday added five security flaws impacting Apple, Craft CMS, and Laravel Livewire to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catal ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 21, 2026 (2 weeks, 4 days ago)
  • TheCyberThrone
CISA adds Five Vulnerabilities to KEV Catalog- March 20, 2026

OverviewCISA added five vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on March 20, 2026, with a remediation due date of April 3, 2026 for all entries. The batch spans three Apple ecos ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 21, 2026 (2 weeks, 4 days ago)
  • SentinelOne
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in Cybersecurity – Week 12

The Good | Operation Synergia III Disrupts Malicious Networks & the EU Sanctions State-Sponsored Attackers Operation Synergia III, an Interpol-led crackdown spanning July 2025 to January 2026, has dis ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 20, 2026 (2 weeks, 5 days ago)
  • Help Net Security
DarkSword: Researchers uncover another iOS exploit kit

A powerful iPhone hacking toolkit dubbed “DarkSword” has been used since November 2025 to compromise devices by exploiting zero-day iOS vulnerabilities, Google researchers have shared. iOS vulnerabili ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 19, 2026 (2 weeks, 6 days ago)
  • The Hacker News
DarkSword iOS Exploit Kit Uses 6 Flaws, 3 Zero-Days for Full Device Takeover

A new exploit kit for Apple iOS devices designed to steal sensitive data from is being wielded by multiple threat actors since at least November 2025, according to reports from Google Threat Intellige ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 19, 2026 (2 weeks, 6 days ago)
  • The Register
State snoops and spyware vendors planting info-stealing malware on iPhones, Google warns

A new exploit kit targeting iPhone users and stealing their sensitive data is being abused by "multiple" spyware vendors and suspected nation-state goons, security researchers said on Wednesday. The e ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 18, 2026 (2 weeks, 6 days ago)
  • CybersecurityNews
New iOS Exploit With Advanced iPhone Hacking Tools Attacking Users to Steal Personal Data

DarkSword iOS Exploit A sophisticated full-chain iOS exploit kit dubbed DarkSword, actively deployed by multiple commercial surveillance vendors and state-sponsored threat actors since at least Novemb ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 18, 2026 (3 weeks ago)
  • Google Cloud
The Proliferation of DarkSword: iOS Exploit Chain Adopted by Multiple Threat Actors

Introduction Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has identified a new iOS full-chain exploit that leveraged multiple zero-day vulnerabilities to fully compromise devices. Based on toolmarks in rec ... Read more

Published Date: Mar 18, 2026 (3 weeks ago)

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2025-43520 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • Modified Analysis by [email protected]

    Apr. 03, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    Removed CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
    Removed CWE CWE-787
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Apr. 02, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Description A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in watchOS 26.1, iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1. A malicious application may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory. 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.
  • Modified Analysis by [email protected]

    Mar. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 15.0 up to (excluding) 15.7.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:visionos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 14.8.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 18.7.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 18.7.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 26.0 up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 26.0 up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 26.0 up to (excluding) 26.1 OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:26.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:26.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:26.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 14.0 up to (excluding) 14.8.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 15.0 up to (excluding) 15.7.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:visionos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 18.7.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 18.7.2
    Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-43520 Types: US Government Resource
    Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/darksword-ios-exploit-chain/ Types: Technical Description
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Mar. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-43520
  • CVE CISA KEV Update by 9119a7d8-5eab-497f-8521-727c672e3725

    Mar. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Date Added 2026-03-20
    Added Due Date 2026-04-03
    Added Vulnerability Name Apple Multiple Products Classic Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
    Added 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.
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Mar. 19, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/darksword-ios-exploit-chain/
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Mar. 18, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CWE CWE-120
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Dec. 16, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-787
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 15.0 up to (excluding) 15.7.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:visionos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 14.8.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 18.7.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 18.7.2 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 26.0 up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 26.0 up to (excluding) 26.1 *cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 26.0 up to (excluding) 26.1
    Added Reference Type Apple Inc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125632 Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
    Added Reference Type Apple Inc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125633 Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
    Added Reference Type Apple Inc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125634 Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
    Added Reference Type Apple Inc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125635 Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
    Added Reference Type Apple Inc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125636 Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
    Added Reference Type Apple Inc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125637 Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
    Added Reference Type Apple Inc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125638 Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
    Added Reference Type Apple Inc.: https://support.apple.com/en-us/125639 Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Dec. 15, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Dec. 12, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in watchOS 26.1, iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2, macOS Tahoe 26.1, visionOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, macOS Sequoia 15.7.2, iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1. A malicious application may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/en-us/125632
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/en-us/125633
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/en-us/125634
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/en-us/125635
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/en-us/125636
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/en-us/125637
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/en-us/125638
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/en-us/125639
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
CVSS
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 7.1
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact