CVE-2024-40794VulnerabilityPublished 29 Jul 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-40794: Apple Safari · Private Browsing tabs may be accessed without authentication

Affects Apple SafariSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium · fixed in 17.6 : update Apple Safari when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

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

EPSS: 1.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 67% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 17.6

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
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: 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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
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 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 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 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 Safari	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-40794, users and organizations should promptly update all affected Apple devices to Safari 17.6 or later, and ensure iOS, iPadOS, and macOS are updated to versions 17.6 and 14.6 respectively. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce device management policies that restrict installation of outdated software and monitor for unauthorized access attempts to browser sessions. Network segmentation and use of endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools can help detect anomalous access patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. Users should be advised to avoid using Private Browsing mode for highly sensitive activities until patches are applied. Additionally, organizations can consider deploying browser privacy extensions or alternative browsers with verified privacy protections as a temporary measure. Regular audits of browser configurations and session management policies will help identify and prevent similar vulnerabilities. Finally, educating users about the limitations of Private Browsing and the importance of timely updates is critical.

Description

This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in Safari 17.6, iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6, macOS Sonoma 14.6. Private Browsing tabs may be accessed without authentication.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-40794 is the unauthorized disclosure of user browsing activity conducted in Private Browsing mode. This can lead to privacy violations, exposure of sensitive information such as visited websites, search queries, and potentially session tokens or credentials if they are visible in the tabs. For organizations, this could result in leakage of confidential research, competitor analysis, or other sensitive browsing conducted by employees. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or system availability, the breach of confidentiality can undermine trust in Apple Safari's privacy features and may have legal or compliance implications, especially in jurisdictions with strict data protection laws. The ease of exploitation (no privileges or user interaction required) increases the risk, particularly in environments where attackers can gain network access to the victim's device. However, the lack of known active exploits reduces immediate risk. Overall, the vulnerability poses a moderate threat to user privacy and organizational confidentiality.

CWE-287Improper Authentication (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use an authentication framework or library such as the OWASP ESAPI Authentication feature.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.4 (opens in a new tab)
V9.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Fake the Source of Data (opens in a new tab)
Utilizing REST's Trust in the System Resource to Obtain Sensitive Data (opens in a new tab)
Session Hijacking (opens in a new tab)
Token Impersonation (opens in a new tab)
Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server (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, 23:27 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-287

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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