Actively exploited vulnerability
Apple products: security bypass flaw under attack
CVE-2025-31201 · Apple Multiple Products Arbitrary Read and Write Vulnerability
What is affected
Apple products are found on ordinary personal computers and phones, so this is not only a problem for companies. If you use them and have not updated since the fix was released, you are exposed.
Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and other Apple products contain an arbitrary read and write vulnerability that allows an attacker to bypass Pointer Authentication.
What an attacker can do
This is a security bypass flaw. It lets an attacker slip past a built-in protection, so warnings and checks that normally stop malicious content never appear.
- How it is reached
- Over the internet or network
- Access the attacker needs
- No account needed
- Does the victim have to do something?
- No, works without the victim doing anything
What to do
- Update Apple products now. Open the update or "About" screen, install whatever is offered and restart the app or device, because the fix is not active until you do.
- Turn on automatic updates so the next fix arrives without you having to look for it.
- If your device is too old to receive this update, stop using the affected app for anything sensitive and plan a replacement.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Vendor advisories and fixes
- support.apple.comsupport.apple.com/en-us/122282
- support.apple.comsupport.apple.com/en-us/122400
- support.apple.comsupport.apple.com/en-us/122401
- support.apple.comsupport.apple.com/en-us/122402
How urgent is it
CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on April 17, 2025, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by May 8, 2025, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.
The EPSS model estimates a 14% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 96% of all scored vulnerabilities.
Its CVSS severity score is 9.8 out of 10 (critical), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.
Technical description
This issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, macOS Sequoia 15.4.1, tvOS 18.4.1, visionOS 2.4.1. An attacker with arbitrary read and write capability may be able to bypass Pointer Authentication. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on iOS.