dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-40428

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 17.0 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The issue was addressed with improved handling of caches. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

CVE-2023-40428 is an iOS/iPadOS vulnerability involving improper cache handling that could allow a malicious app to access sensitive user data. The vulnerability was addressed with improved cache management in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.

MitigationUpdate to iOS 17 or later; for developers, audit application caching mechanisms to ensure sensitive data is not stored in unprotected caches.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 17.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Open Settings > General > About on the iPhone and note the version number displayed next to 'Version' (format like 16.7.x)
    Affected if Version number is below 17.0 (for example, 16.6.1 or 16.7.x)
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Open Settings > General > About on the iPad and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'
    Affected if Version number is below 17.0 (for example, 16.5 or 16.7.x)
  3. Verify device is Apple mobile device
    Confirm the device is an iPhone or iPad by checking Settings > General > About > Model Name
    Affected if Device is an iPhone or iPad running any version below iOS 17.0 or iPadOS 17.0

The environment is affected if any iPhone or iPad is running iOS or iPadOS version 16.x or lower (below 17.0).

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 17.0 or later
Fixed in 17.0
Interim mitigation

Update to iOS 17 or later; for developers, audit application caching mechanisms to ensure sensitive data is not stored in unprotected caches.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 or later

  1. Back up your iPhone or iPad data using iCloud or iTunes/Finder before updating
  2. On your iOS device, go to Settings > General > Software Update
  3. Download and install iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later
  4. After updating, verify the version by checking Settings > General > About > Software Version
Caveat iOS 17 introduced changes to some apps and features; verify critical apps are compatible before updating

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-40428 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data