CVE-2024-44139VulnerabilityPublished 16 Sep 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-44139: Apple iOS and iPadOS · An attacker with physical access may be able to access contacts from the lock screen

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 2.4 Low.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

2.4Low

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 16% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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 16 Sep 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-2024-44139, organizations and users should promptly update all affected Apple devices to iOS 18 or iPadOS 18, where the vulnerability has been fixed with improved access control checks. Until updates are applied, users should minimize the risk by configuring device lock screen settings to restrict access to contacts and other sensitive information, such as disabling features like 'Show Contact Info' or 'Reply with Message' from the lock screen. Physical security controls should be enhanced to prevent unauthorized access to devices, including enforcing strict policies on device handling and storage. Employing mobile device management (MDM) solutions can help enforce security policies and ensure timely updates across organizational devices. Additionally, educating users about the risks of leaving devices unattended and the importance of promptly reporting lost or stolen devices can reduce exposure. Regular audits of device configurations and lock screen settings can help identify and remediate potential weaknesses. Finally, organizations should monitor for any emerging exploits targeting this vulnerability and adjust their security posture accordingly.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. An attacker with physical access may be able to access contacts from the lock screen.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-44139 is the unauthorized disclosure of contact information from locked iOS and iPadOS devices. For organizations, this could lead to privacy violations and potential leakage of sensitive business contacts, which may be leveraged in social engineering or spear-phishing campaigns. Although the vulnerability does not allow modification of data or device compromise, the exposure of contacts can facilitate further attacks by providing attackers with trusted contact details. This risk is particularly significant in environments where devices are frequently left unattended or lost, such as in corporate settings, public spaces, or during travel. The limited requirement of physical access restricts the scope of exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially for high-profile targets or in scenarios involving theft or unauthorized device access. The vulnerability’s low severity score reflects its limited direct impact on device integrity or availability but does not diminish the importance of protecting sensitive contact information. Organizations relying heavily on Apple mobile devices should consider the potential privacy and operational risks associated with this exposure.

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #20OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
Logging (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.4 (opens in a new tab)
V14.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
V7.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Subverting Environment Variable Values (opens in a new tab)
ICMP Echo Request Ping (opens in a new tab)
TCP SYN Scan (opens in a new tab)
Enumerate Mail Exchange (MX) Records (opens in a new tab)
DNS Zone Transfers (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, 23:45 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-200

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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