Apple iOS/macOS Use-After-Free in Safari (fixed 26.2) CAU leading to code exec
CVE-2025-43529 Published on December 17, 2025
A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in watchOS 26.2, Safari 26.2, iOS 18.7.3 and iPadOS 18.7.3, iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2, macOS Tahoe 26.2, visionOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. CVE-2025-14174 was also issued in response to this report.
Known Exploited Vulnerability
This Apple Multiple Products Use-After-Free WebKit Vulnerability is part of CISA's list of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities. Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and other Apple products contain a use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to memory corruption. This vulnerability could impact HTML parsers that use WebKit, including but not limited to Apple Safari and non-Apple products which rely on WebKit for HTML processing.
The following remediation steps are recommended / required by January 5, 2026: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2025-43529 can be exploited with network access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. This vulnerability is known to be actively exploited by threat actors. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.
Weakness Type
What is a Dangling pointer Vulnerability?
Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code.
CVE-2025-43529 has been classified to as a Dangling pointer vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2025-43529
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Affected Versions
Apple iOS and iPadOS:- Version unspecified and below 18.7 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 26.2 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 26.2 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 26.2 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 26.2 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 26.2 is affected.
- Version unspecified and below 26.2 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.