VulnerabilityPublished 23 Jan 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-42937: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Sensitive Data in Logs

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium : upgrade to 16.7.5 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 22% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 16.7.5

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
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: 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: 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 23 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 16.7.5.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple iOS and iPadOS	Affected <16.7.5	Fixed in 16.7.5

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2023-42937, European organizations should prioritize deploying the Apple security updates that address this vulnerability across all affected devices, including iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS platforms. Patch management processes must ensure timely installation of iOS 16.7.5, iPadOS 16.7.5, watchOS 10.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.4, macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.3, and iOS/iPadOS 17.2. Additionally, organizations should audit installed applications and restrict app permissions to minimize exposure to potentially malicious apps that could exploit this vulnerability. Implementing Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions can help enforce update policies and monitor app behavior. User awareness training should emphasize cautious interaction with apps, especially those requesting access to logs or sensitive data. Logging and monitoring systems should be reviewed to detect unusual access patterns to logs or data leakage attempts. Finally, organizations should consider isolating sensitive workloads from devices that cannot be promptly updated or are at higher risk of compromise.

Description

A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.7.5 and iPadOS 16.7.5, watchOS 10.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.4, macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.3, iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-42937 is the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user data on Apple devices. This could include personal information, credentials, or other confidential data logged by the system and accessible to malicious or compromised apps. Such data leakage risks violating GDPR and other privacy regulations, potentially leading to legal and reputational consequences. Although the vulnerability does not allow modification or disruption of system functions, the confidentiality breach could facilitate further attacks such as social engineering or targeted phishing. Organizations relying heavily on Apple hardware and software for mobile workforce, executive communications, or sensitive operations are particularly vulnerable. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the medium severity and ease of exploitation with user interaction mean that unpatched devices remain at risk. This is especially relevant for sectors handling sensitive data such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure within Europe.

CWE-532Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A09:2025: Security Logging & Alerting Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product writes sensitive information to a log file.
Architecture and Design · Implementation
Consider seriously the sensitivity of the information written into log files. Do not write secrets into the log files.
Distribution
Remove debug log files before deploying the application into production.
Operation
Protect log files against unauthorized read/write.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Application Logging Vocabulary (opens in a new tab)
Logging (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V7.1.1 (opens in a new tab)
V7.1.2 (opens in a new tab)
V8.3.5 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Fuzzing for application mapping (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 18:37 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-532

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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