VulnerabilityPublished 21 Feb 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-42951: Apple iOS and iPadOS · A user may be unable to delete browsing history items

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium : upgrade to 17.1 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 33% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 17.1

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

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

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on 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

Upgrade Apple iOS and iPadOS to 17.1.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple iOS and iPadOS	Affected <17.1	Fixed in 17.1

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2023-42951, organizations should prioritize updating all affected Apple devices to iOS and iPadOS version 17.1 or later, where the issue is resolved. Device management policies should enforce timely patch deployment and verify update compliance across mobile fleets. Additionally, organizations can implement mobile device management (MDM) solutions to monitor device versions and enforce security baselines. User training should emphasize the importance of applying updates and understanding privacy settings related to browsing history. For environments where device sharing is common, consider additional controls such as user profiles or secure browsing modes that limit history retention. Regular audits of device configurations and privacy settings can help detect residual risks. Finally, organizations should review their privacy policies and incident response plans to address potential data exposure scenarios arising from this vulnerability.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved handling of caches. This issue is fixed in iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1. A user may be unable to delete browsing history items.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-42951 is related to user privacy and compliance with data protection regulations such as the GDPR. If users cannot delete browsing history, sensitive information may persist on devices longer than intended, increasing the risk of unauthorized disclosure during device sharing, loss, or inspection. This can undermine trust in organizational device management policies and potentially lead to non-compliance with privacy mandates. Although the vulnerability does not allow external attackers to compromise systems or data directly, it weakens user control over personal data, which is critical in privacy-conscious environments. Organizations that issue Apple devices to employees or manage mobile device fleets should be aware of this limitation and ensure timely updates to mitigate privacy risks. The impact on operational security is limited, but the reputational and regulatory risks related to privacy could be significant if not addressed.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 20:06 UTC

Technical details

References

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