VulnerabilityPublished 28 Oct 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-40853: Apple iOS and iPadOS · An attacker may be able to use Siri to enable Auto-Answer Calls

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.9 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 15:59 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.9Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
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: 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: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on 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 28 Oct 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 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 this vulnerability, affected users and organizations should promptly update all iOS and iPadOS devices to version 18 or later, where the issue is fixed by restricting Siri’s capabilities on locked devices. Until updates are applied, users should consider disabling Siri access from the lock screen to prevent unauthorized voice commands. Additionally, disabling the Auto-Answer Calls feature entirely or restricting its use to trusted environments can reduce risk. Organizations should enforce mobile device management (MDM) policies that restrict Siri usage and lock screen features on corporate devices. Physical security controls to prevent unauthorized access to devices and user training to recognize suspicious behavior can further reduce exploitation likelihood. Monitoring for unusual call answering behavior may help detect exploitation attempts. Apple’s official security advisories and updates should be followed closely for any further patches or guidance.

Description

This issue was addressed by restricting options offered on a locked device. This issue is fixed in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. An attacker may be able to use Siri to enable Auto-Answer Calls.

Impact

The primary impact of this vulnerability is on user privacy and confidentiality. By enabling Auto-Answer Calls without user consent, an attacker could listen in on conversations or gather sensitive information through calls answered automatically. This could lead to unauthorized surveillance, data leakage, or exposure of confidential discussions, particularly in corporate or government environments where sensitive communications occur. The integrity and availability impacts are low but present, as unauthorized call answering could disrupt normal device usage or lead to social engineering attacks. Since exploitation requires physical proximity or voice access to the device, remote exploitation is unlikely, limiting the scope somewhat. However, given the widespread use of Apple devices globally, especially in enterprise and government sectors, the risk is significant until devices are updated. The vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted attacks against high-value individuals or organizations.

References

support.apple.com/en-us/121250 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 2 Apr 2026, 23:39 UTC

Technical details

References

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