CVE-2024-40835VulnerabilityPublished 29 Jul 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-40835: Apple iOS and iPadOS · A shortcut may be able to use sensitive data with certain actions without prompting the user

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 16.7.9 : update Apple iOS and iPadOS when convenient.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 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 23% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 16.7.9

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
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: 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: 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 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-2024-40835, organizations and users should promptly apply the security updates released by Apple: iOS and iPadOS 16.7.9 and later, macOS Monterey 12.7.6 and later, macOS Ventura 13.6.8 and later, macOS Sonoma 14.6 and later, and watchOS 10.6 and later. Beyond patching, organizations should audit and restrict the use of shortcuts, especially those sourced from untrusted parties or that request access to sensitive data. Implement strict device access controls to limit local privilege escalation and unauthorized local access, including enforcing strong authentication and endpoint protection. Educate users about the risks of installing or running unverified shortcuts. Monitor device logs for unusual shortcut activity or data access patterns. Where possible, disable or limit shortcut automation features in high-security environments. Employ mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce update policies and control shortcut permissions centrally. Regularly review and update security policies related to automation and scripting on Apple devices to reduce attack surface.

Description

A logic issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.7.9 and iPadOS 16.7.9, iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6, macOS Monterey 12.7.6, macOS Sonoma 14.6, macOS Ventura 13.6.8, watchOS 10.6. A shortcut may be able to use sensitive data with certain actions without prompting the user.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-40835 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive data on Apple devices. Since shortcuts can be crafted or manipulated to bypass user prompts, attackers with local access and limited privileges could silently extract confidential information without alerting the user. This compromises data confidentiality and could lead to privacy violations, data leakage, or further targeted attacks leveraging the exposed information. The vulnerability does not affect data integrity or system availability, but the silent nature of the exploit increases the risk of unnoticed data compromise. Organizations relying heavily on Apple devices for sensitive communications or data processing—such as enterprises, government agencies, and healthcare providers—face increased risk of data breaches. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation, but insider threats or malware with local foothold could leverage this vulnerability. The lack of user interaction needed for exploitation further raises the risk of stealthy data exfiltration. Overall, the vulnerability could undermine trust in Apple’s automation features and impact compliance with data protection regulations if exploited.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 2 Apr 2026, 23:35 UTC

Technical details

References

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