CVE-2024-44273VulnerabilityPublished 28 Oct 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-44273: Apple iOS and iPadOS · A malicious app may be able to access private information

Affects Apple iOS and iPadOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 18.1 : update Apple iOS and iPadOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 20% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 18.1

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
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: 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: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
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 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 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-2024-44273, organizations should: 1) Promptly deploy the official Apple security updates iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 (and corresponding updates for other Apple OSes) to all managed devices to ensure the symlink handling flaw is corrected. 2) Enforce strict app installation policies, allowing only apps from trusted sources such as the official Apple App Store, and consider using Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to control app deployment. 3) Educate users about the risks of installing untrusted applications and the importance of verifying app legitimacy to reduce the likelihood of user interaction enabling exploitation. 4) Monitor device logs and behavior for unusual file access patterns that could indicate attempts to exploit symlink vulnerabilities. 5) Implement network-level controls to restrict device access and reduce the chance of local attackers gaining physical or logical access. 6) Regularly audit device security posture and compliance with patch management policies. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling app installation, user awareness, and proactive monitoring tailored to the nature of this symlink-based vulnerability.

Description

This issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, tvOS 18.1, visionOS 2.1, watchOS 11.1. A malicious app may be able to access private information.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-44273 is unauthorized disclosure of private information on affected Apple devices. For organizations, this could lead to leakage of sensitive corporate data, personal user information, or intellectual property if a malicious app is installed on employee devices. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction and local access, the risk is somewhat mitigated but remains significant in environments where device control is lax or where users may be tricked into installing malicious apps. The confidentiality breach could facilitate further attacks such as social engineering, identity theft, or corporate espionage. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so it is unlikely to cause system crashes or data corruption. However, the breach of confidentiality alone can have serious reputational and regulatory consequences, especially for sectors handling sensitive data such as finance, healthcare, and government. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits following public disclosure.

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Symlink Attack (opens in a new tab)
Using Malicious Files (opens in a new tab)
Leverage Executable Code in Non-Executable Files (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 00:07 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-59

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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