VulnerabilityPublished 21 Feb 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-42834: Apple macOS · An app may be able to access sensitive user data

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.2 Medium · fixed in 10.1 : update Apple macOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.2Medium

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 12% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 10.1

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
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: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
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 21 Feb 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

AI-suggested

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigation steps: 1) Immediately deploy the security updates released by Apple for macOS Sonoma 14.1, Monterey 12.7.2, Ventura 13.6.3, watchOS 10.1, iOS 17.1, and iPadOS 17.1 across all managed Apple devices. 2) Restrict local application installation rights to trusted sources only, minimizing the risk of malicious apps exploiting this vulnerability. 3) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of monitoring unusual file access patterns or unauthorized data exfiltration attempts on Apple devices. 4) Conduct regular audits of installed applications and remove any untrusted or unnecessary software. 5) Educate users about the risks of installing unverified applications and the importance of applying OS updates promptly. 6) For highly sensitive environments, consider additional data encryption at rest and in transit to reduce the impact of potential data exposure.

Description

A privacy issue was addressed with improved handling of files. This issue is fixed in watchOS 10.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1, macOS Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user data on Apple devices. Since the exploit requires local access but no privileges or user interaction, it could be leveraged by malicious insiders, compromised applications, or attackers who gain limited access to endpoints. The confidentiality breach could lead to exposure of personal information, intellectual property, or credentials stored on affected devices. This is particularly concerning for sectors handling sensitive data such as finance, healthcare, government, and technology. The impact on integrity and availability is negligible, but the loss of confidentiality can have regulatory and reputational consequences under GDPR and other data protection laws. Organizations relying heavily on Apple ecosystems for endpoint devices must ensure rapid deployment of patches to mitigate this risk. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate urgency but does not eliminate the threat, as attackers may develop exploits over time.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 20:14 UTC

Technical details

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