CVE-2025-31281: 
macOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-31281 is an input validation vulnerability discovered in Apple's operating systems that was disclosed on July 29, 2025. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple operating systems including visionOS 2.6, tvOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, iOS 18.6, and iPadOS 18.6. The issue was identified by Michael DePlante (@izobashi) of Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative (Apple Support, Apple Support).

The vulnerability is classified as an input validation issue in the Model I/O component that was addressed with improved memory handling. When processing a maliciously crafted file, the vulnerability could lead to unexpected application termination. The issue has been assigned a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H, and is associated with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) (NVD).

The vulnerability's primary impact is that processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected application termination. This could potentially affect any application that processes files using the affected Model I/O component across multiple Apple operating systems (Apple Support, Apple Support).

The vulnerability has a critical CVSS score of 9.1, indicating high exploitability with network vector access, low attack complexity, and no privileges or user interaction required (NVD).

Apple has addressed this vulnerability by implementing improved memory handling in the following system updates: visionOS 2.6, tvOS 18.6, macOS Sequoia 15.6, iOS 18.6, and iPadOS 18.6. Users are advised to update their systems to these versions to mitigate the vulnerability (Apple Support, Apple Support, Apple Support, Apple Support).