Apple released security updates on Monday for macOS, iPhone, and iPad, addressing several critical vulnerabilities.
The company warned that some of these flaws could allow attackers to execute code simply by getting a user to open a malicious image, video, or website.
The iOS 18.5 update, along with similar patches for iPadOS, targets high-risk bugs in AppleJPEG and CoreMedia. Apple cautioned that these issues could be exploited using specially crafted media files to execute arbitrary code with the same privileges as the targeted application.
Additional vulnerabilities were found and fixed in CoreAudio, CoreGraphics, and ImageIO. These flaws could lead to app crashes or data leaks if a user opens compromised content.
The iOS 18.5 release also addresses at least nine WebKit vulnerabilities, some of which could allow a malicious website to run unauthorized code or crash the Safari browser engine.
Apple fixed a separate issue in FaceTime where audio from conversations could still be transmitted even after the microphone was muted.
Under the hood, iOS 18.5 strengthens kernel protection by resolving two memory corruption vulnerabilities. It also patches a libexpat flaw (CVE-2024-8176), which affects a wide range of software.
Other important fixes include a Baseband vulnerability (CVE-2025-31214) that could allow attackers with privileged network access to intercept data on the iPhone 16e series. The update also addresses a privilege escalation bug in mDNSResponder (CVE-2025-31222), a flaw in the Notes app that exposes data from the lock screen, and security issues in FrontBoard, iCloud Document Sharing, and Mail Addressing.
Apple confirmed that none of the patched vulnerabilities have been exploited in the wild. The iOS 18.5 update is available for iPhone XS and newer models. The corresponding iPadOS release covers devices including the iPad Pro (2018 and newer), iPad Air 3, iPad 7, iPad mini 5, and later versions.
Alongside the mobile updates, Apple also released major updates for macOS Sequoia, macOS Sonoma, macOS Ventura, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.
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