VulnerabilityPublished 15 Jan 2025Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-40839: Apple iOS and iPadOS · Missing Authorization

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 2.4 Low · fixed in 17.5 : update Apple iOS and iPadOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

2.4Low

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 17.5

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

Attack Vector: Physical
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: Physical: The attack requires the attacker to physically touch or manipulate the vulnerable component. Physical interaction may be brief or persistent.
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 15 Jan 2025
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

Affected software

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

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-40839, organizations and users should immediately update all affected Apple devices to iOS and iPadOS version 17.5 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed through improved state management. Additionally, users should configure their notification settings to limit sensitive content visibility on the Lock Screen by disabling 'Show Previews' or setting it to 'When Unlocked' in the device’s notification settings. Employing strong device passcodes and enabling biometric authentication can further reduce the risk of unauthorized access. Organizations should enforce mobile device management (MDM) policies that restrict notification previews on locked devices, especially for corporate-owned devices. Physical security controls should be enhanced to prevent unauthorized physical access to devices. Regular user training on the risks of physical device access and the importance of software updates will also help reduce exposure. Monitoring for lost or stolen devices and enabling remote wipe capabilities can mitigate potential data exposure from physical theft.

Description

This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5. An attacker with physical access to an iOS device may be able to view notification contents from the Lock Screen.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-40839 is the potential compromise of confidentiality for users of affected Apple devices. Attackers with physical access can view sensitive notification content, which may include personal messages, authentication codes, or other private information, potentially leading to privacy breaches or aiding further social engineering attacks. However, the vulnerability does not affect device integrity or availability, nor does it allow remote exploitation, limiting its overall risk profile. Organizations relying on iOS and iPadOS devices for sensitive communications may face increased risk of data leakage if devices are lost or stolen and not promptly updated. The exposure of notification content could also undermine user trust and compliance with privacy regulations in sectors such as healthcare, finance, and government. Despite the low severity rating, the vulnerability underscores the importance of securing physical access to devices and timely patching to prevent unauthorized data disclosure.

CWE-862Missing Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #4OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.
Architecture and Design
Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries.
Architecture and Design
Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.8 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.2 (opens in a new tab)
V7.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

support.apple.com/en-us/120905 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 2 Apr 2026, 23:36 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-862

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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