CVE-2023-40438
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 · uneditedAn issue was addressed with improved handling of temporary files. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7. An app may be able to access edited photos saved to a temporary directory.
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 confidenceAn app may be able to access edited photos saved to a temporary directory due to improper handling of temporary files. The vulnerability allows unauthorized access to photos that should have been isolated, representing a confidentiality breach in the iOS/macOS photo editing workflow.
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< 16.7< 16.7< 14.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify your device typeDetermine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About. On macOS, click the Apple menu and select About This Mac.Affected if Device is an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the affected operating systems
-
Check iOS or iPadOS version on Apple mobile devicesOn iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the version number (for example, 16.6 or 16.6.1).Affected if Version is lower than 16.7 (for example, 16.6, 16.5, 16.4, etc.)
-
Check macOS version on Mac computersOn Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number displayed (for example, 13.x or 13.5).Affected if Version is lower than 14.0 (for example, 13.5, 13.4, 12.x, etc.)
-
Determine if photo editing with temporary file creation was usedRecall whether any photo editing was performed using Apple's Photos app or other apps that edit photos and save changes. The vulnerability affects photos edited and then saved or edited temporarily.Affected if Photo editing workflows that involve saving or modifying photos were performed on the device while running an affected OS version
A user is affected if their device runs iOS/iPadOS below 16.7 or macOS below 14.0 AND they have edited photos using the Photos app or similar editing workflows on that device.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped14.016.7
Apply the vendor-supplied updates: macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 16.7, or iPadOS 16.7 or later. Deploy via MDM or software update mechanisms.
iOS 16.7, iPadOS 16.7, macOS Sonoma 14
- For iPhone users: Upgrade to iOS 16.7 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
- For iPad users: Upgrade to iPadOS 16.7 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
- For Mac users: Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14 via System Settings > General > Software Update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40438 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-40438 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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.
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.
- 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