watchOS 11.6 Security Update

What watchOS 11.6 Fixes

watchOS 11.6, released July 29, 2025, fixes 23 vulnerabilities in 13 parts of the system, according to Apple's security advisory.

Apple does not say that any of them were exploited before the fix. That makes watchOS 11.6 a routine security update: worth installing soon, not an emergency.

It is the newest security release for watchOS 11 on Apple's list.

Grouped by us from the impact Apple gives for each fix; the impact lines below are Apple's own.

Which Devices Get watchOS 11.6

Apple lists watchOS 11.6 for: Apple Watch Series 6 and later.

How to Install watchOS 11.6

Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, then General → Software Update. The watch needs to be on its charger and within range of the iPhone.

Security fixes are cumulative: any later release for the same version includes these as well, so if you are already past watchOS 11.6 there is nothing to do.

Every Fix in watchOS 11.6

All 23 CVEs in Apple's advisory, the most serious kinds first. Each entry is the part of the system affected, Apple's description of the impact and the fix, and the CVE ID.

• CFNetwork

  A non-privileged user may be able to modify restricted network settings

  A denial-of-service issue was addressed with improved input validation.

  CVE-2025-43223

• CoreMedia Playback

  An app may be able to access user-sensitive data

  The issue was addressed with additional permissions checks.

  CVE-2025-43230

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may disclose sensitive user information

  This issue was addressed through improved state management.

  CVE-2025-43227

• afclip

  Parsing a file may lead to an unexpected app termination

  The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

  CVE-2025-43186

• CoreAudio

  Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may lead to memory corruption

  The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

  CVE-2025-43277

• CoreMedia

  Processing a maliciously crafted media file may lead to unexpected app termination or corrupt process memory

  An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.

  CVE-2025-43210

• ICU

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash

  An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.

  CVE-2025-43209

• Kernel

  An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination

  A double free issue was addressed with improved memory management.

  CVE-2025-43282

• libxml2

  Processing a file may lead to memory corruption

  This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org .

  CVE-2025-7425

• libxslt

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to memory corruption

  This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org .

  CVE-2025-7424

• Metal

  Processing a maliciously crafted texture may lead to unexpected app termination

  Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved input validation.

  CVE-2025-43234

• SQLite

  Processing a file may lead to memory corruption

  This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org .

  CVE-2025-6965

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to memory corruption

  The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

  CVE-2025-31278 CVE-2025-31277 CVE-2025-31273

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash

  The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

  CVE-2025-43214 CVE-2025-43213 CVE-2025-43212

• WebKit

  Processing web content may lead to a denial-of-service

  The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

  CVE-2025-43211

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash

  A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management.

  CVE-2025-43216

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash

  This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org .

  CVE-2025-6558

• ImageIO

  Processing a maliciously crafted image may result in disclosure of process memory

  An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.

  CVE-2025-43226

• WebKit

  Processing maliciously crafted web content may disclose internal states of the app

  An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.

  CVE-2025-43265

watchOS 11 Security Release History

watchOS 11.6 in context: the security releases Apple has published for watchOS 11, newest first, with the number of fixes each carried.

The Same Fixes Elsewhere

Apple ships most fixes to every platform that shares the code, and to older versions still under support. These releases close at least one of the same CVEs:

Frequently Asked Questions