VulnerabilityPublished 10 Jan 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-38612: Apple iOS and iPadOS · An app may be able to access protected user data

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 3.3 Low : upgrade to 16.7 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

3.3Low

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 16.7

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Jan 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Apple iOS and iPadOS to 16.7.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple iOS and iPadOS	Affected <16.7	Fixed in 16.7

AI-suggested

European organizations should implement a targeted mitigation strategy beyond generic patching advice: 1) Enforce rapid deployment of Apple’s security updates (iOS 16.7/iPadOS 16.7/iOS 17/iPadOS 17 and macOS Monterey 12.7/Ventura 13.6/Sonoma 14) across all managed Apple devices. 2) Utilize Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to monitor device OS versions and enforce update compliance. 3) Restrict app installation to trusted sources only, such as the Apple App Store, and consider application whitelisting to prevent installation of potentially malicious apps. 4) Educate users on the risks of social engineering and the importance of not interacting with suspicious prompts or apps that request access to sensitive data. 5) Implement strict app permission policies, minimizing access to protected data unless explicitly required. 6) Conduct regular audits of installed applications and their permissions to detect anomalous access patterns. 7) For highly sensitive environments, consider additional endpoint protection solutions that can detect unusual app behavior on Apple devices. 8) Maintain incident response readiness to quickly investigate any suspected data access incidents related to this vulnerability.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.7, iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, macOS Ventura 13.6. An app may be able to access protected user data.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-38612 lies in the potential unauthorized disclosure of protected user data on Apple devices. This could include sensitive personal or corporate information stored or accessible on iPhones, iPads, or Macs. While the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or system availability, the confidentiality breach could lead to privacy violations, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR), and reputational damage. Organizations with employees using Apple devices for work, especially in sectors handling sensitive data such as finance, healthcare, and government, may face increased risk. The requirement for local access and user interaction reduces the likelihood of remote exploitation but does not eliminate insider threats or targeted attacks involving social engineering. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests a low immediate risk, but the potential for future exploitation remains if devices are not patched. Therefore, the impact is moderate in terms of data confidentiality and compliance obligations.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 23:52 UTC

Technical details

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