CVE-2024-40777VulnerabilityPublished 29 Jul 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-40777: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 3.3 Low · fixed in 17.6 : update Apple iOS and iPadOS when convenient.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

3.3Low

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

EPSS: 7.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 94% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 17.6

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

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

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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 29 Jul 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 2026-10-25.

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 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple iOS and iPadOS	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-40777, organizations and users should promptly apply the security updates released by Apple, specifically iOS 17.6, iPadOS 17.6, macOS Sonoma 14.6, tvOS 17.6, visionOS 1.3, and watchOS 10.6. Beyond patching, organizations should implement robust email and file scanning solutions to detect and block maliciously crafted files before they reach end users. User education is critical to reduce the risk of opening suspicious files, emphasizing caution with unexpected attachments or files from untrusted sources. Application developers should ensure their apps handle file parsing safely and consider additional input validation to prevent crashes. Network-level protections such as sandboxing and restricting app permissions can limit the impact of crashes. Monitoring for unusual app terminations or user reports of instability can help detect exploitation attempts. Maintaining an up-to-date inventory of Apple devices and enforcing update policies will reduce exposure.

Description

An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6, macOS Sonoma 14.6, tvOS 17.6, visionOS 1.3, watchOS 10.6. Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-40777 is on the availability of applications running on affected Apple devices. An attacker who convinces a user to open a maliciously crafted file can cause targeted apps to crash unexpectedly, leading to denial-of-service conditions. While this does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, repeated exploitation could disrupt user productivity or service availability, particularly in environments relying heavily on iOS or iPadOS apps for critical tasks. Enterprises with large Apple device deployments may face operational interruptions if users open malicious files, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, or government where device stability is crucial. Since exploitation requires user interaction, the risk is somewhat mitigated but still relevant in phishing or social engineering scenarios. No known exploits in the wild reduce immediate risk, but unpatched devices remain vulnerable. The vulnerability also affects other Apple platforms, potentially impacting a broad range of devices in the Apple ecosystem.

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #8
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Overread Buffers (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 2 Apr 2026, 23:23 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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