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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2023-41061: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Improper Input Validation

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

0

Exploited in the wild · KEV due 2 Oct 2023 · 4% EPSS : upgrade to 16.6.1 now.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
KEV deadline
 US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else. Other KEV due dates
EPSS
4.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 91% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 16.6.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 7 Sep 2023

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: evidence found.

    Listed in CISA KEV 4 days after disclosure

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

Timeline

  1. CVE ID reserved

    by Apple Inc.

    , 16 days before disclosure

  2. CVE published

    on cve.org

    , t = 0

  3. , 4 days after disclosure

  4. KEV remediation due

    US federal deadline

    , 25 days after disclosure

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

What to do

Upgrade apple/ios and apple/ipados to 16.6.1.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Appleapple/iospkg:deb/apple/iosOther threatsAffected
  • <16.6.1
Fixed in
  • 16.6.1
Appleapple/ipadospkg:deb/apple/ipadosOther threatsAffected
  • <16.6.1
Fixed in
  • 16.6.1

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

Description

A validation issue was addressed with improved logic. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.6.2, iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1. A maliciously crafted attachment may result in arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

References

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