Skip to main content

CVE-2024-23219: Stolen Device Protection may be unexpectedly disabled in Apple iOS and iPadOS

Medium
VulnerabilityCVE-2024-23219cvecve-2024-23219
Published: Tue Jan 23 2024 (01/23/2024, 00:25:31 UTC)
Source: CVE Database V5
Vendor/Project: Apple
Product: iOS and iPadOS

Description

The issue was addressed with improved authentication. This issue is fixed in iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3. Stolen Device Protection may be unexpectedly disabled.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 07/06/2025, 07:27:59 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2024-23219 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple iOS and iPadOS devices prior to version 17.3. The flaw involves the Stolen Device Protection feature, which may be unexpectedly disabled due to insufficient authentication controls. Stolen Device Protection is a security mechanism designed to prevent unauthorized use of lost or stolen devices by restricting access and enabling remote locking or wiping. The vulnerability stems from improper authentication (CWE-287), allowing this protection to be bypassed or disabled without proper authorization. This could enable an attacker with local access to the device to deactivate the anti-theft protections without needing user interaction or privileges, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). The issue was addressed by Apple through improved authentication mechanisms in iOS and iPadOS 17.3, which ensures that only authorized users can disable this protection. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and the affected versions are unspecified but presumably all versions before 17.3. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or availability but has a high impact on integrity since it allows unauthorized modification of security settings that protect device access.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the security of mobile devices used by employees, especially those handling sensitive or regulated data. If Stolen Device Protection is disabled without authorization, stolen or lost devices could be more easily accessed by malicious actors, leading to potential data breaches, unauthorized access to corporate resources, and exposure of personal or confidential information. This risk is heightened in sectors with strict data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and government agencies. Additionally, the loss of device integrity could undermine trust in mobile device management (MDM) policies and complicate compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations. Although exploitation requires local access, the ease of disabling protections without user interaction means that physical theft or insider threats could quickly compromise device security.

Mitigation Recommendations

European organizations should prioritize updating all iOS and iPadOS devices to version 17.3 or later to ensure the vulnerability is patched. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strong mobile device management (MDM) policies that restrict physical access to devices and implement device encryption and biometric authentication to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. Regular audits of device security settings should be conducted to detect any unexpected changes to Stolen Device Protection or related features. Additionally, organizations should educate employees on the importance of reporting lost or stolen devices immediately and ensure that remote wipe capabilities are enabled and tested. For high-risk environments, consider deploying additional endpoint security solutions that monitor device integrity and alert on suspicious configuration changes. Finally, physical security controls should be enhanced to prevent unauthorized physical access to devices.

Need more detailed analysis?Get Pro

Technical Details

Data Version
5.1
Assigner Short Name
apple
Date Reserved
2024-01-12T22:22:21.477Z
Cvss Version
3.1
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 68406659182aa0cae2b37ac7

Added to database: 6/4/2025, 3:29:29 PM

Last enriched: 7/6/2025, 7:27:59 AM

Last updated: 7/31/2025, 8:53:20 PM

Views: 11

Actions

PRO

Updates to AI analysis are available only with a Pro account. Contact root@offseq.com for access.

Please log in to the Console to use AI analysis features.

Need enhanced features?

Contact root@offseq.com for Pro access with improved analysis and higher rate limits.

Latest Threats