CVE-2025-24235Network attack vector

User-assisted app crash via uninitialized negotiation token

Published Mar 31, 2025 · Updated Jul 23, 2026

Memory initialization flaw in Apple macOS Kerberos Helper allows remote attackers to crash apps or corrupt heap memory during SMB authentication. _KRBDecodeNegTokenInit skips initialization of a stack NegotiationToken after gss_decapsulate_token fails, then _free_NegotiationToken reaches _asn1_free on uninitialized data. Exploitation requires a user to open an smb:// URL or invoke mount_smbfs against a malicious SMB server, and the documented impact is app termination or heap corruption.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.49%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Memory initialization flaw in Apple macOS Kerberos Helper allows remote attackers to crash apps or corrupt heap memory during SMB authentication. _KRBDecodeNegTokenInit skips initialization of a stack NegotiationToken after gss_decapsulate_token fails, then _free_NegotiationToken reaches _asn1_free on uninitialized data. Exploitation requires a user to open an smb:// URL or invoke mount_smbfs against a malicious SMB server, and the documented impact is app termination or heap corruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-24235
Published
Mar 31, 2025
Updated
Jul 23, 2026
Vendor
Apple
Product
macOS
Classifications
CWE-400, T1499.004, T1204.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 31, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jul 23, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <13.7.5
  2. Affected versionversion=0 <14.7.5
  3. Affected versionversion=0 <15.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Apple · macOSversion=0 <13.7.5; version=0 <14.7.5; version=0 <15.4

Published CVSS scores

5.5CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-400Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation
T1204.001Malicious Link

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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