CVE-2023-41069
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed by improving Face ID anti-spoofing models. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. A 3D model constructed to look like the enrolled user may authenticate via Face ID.
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 · high confidenceA vulnerability in Face ID allowed a 3D model constructed to resemble the enrolled user to successfully authenticate, bypassing biometric security controls. The weakness was in Face ID's anti-spoofing models, which failed to adequately distinguish between real faces and synthetic 3D replicas.
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< 17.0< 17.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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.
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Check the iOS or iPadOS version installed on the deviceGo to Settings > General > About and look at the version number (e.g., 16.7.1, 17.0)Affected if The version is less than 17.0 (for example, 16.x.x or earlier)
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Confirm Face ID is enrolled on the deviceGo to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and check if Face ID is set up (it will show 'Set up Face ID' if not configured, or display enrolled faces if configured)Affected if Face ID shows enrolled faces or a 'Face ID is on' status indicating it is active
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Verify the device is an iPhone or iPad model that supports Face IDCheck the device model at Settings > General > About > Model Name - Face ID is available on iPhone X and later, and iPad Pro (3rd gen and later), iPad Air (4th gen and later)Affected if The device supports Face ID hardware and is running a version below 17.0
The device is affected if it is an iPhone or iPad with Face ID hardware running iOS or iPadOS version 16.x or earlier (below 17.0).
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 · scoped17.0
Update affected devices to iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later, which includes improved anti-spoofing models that properly detect 3D facial replicas.
iOS 17 / iPadOS 17
- Back up your iPhone/iPad before upgrading using iCloud or your computer
- Connect your device to power and Wi-Fi
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update
- Download and install iOS 17 or iPadOS 17
- Wait for the installation to complete and restart if prompted
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-41069 — 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-2023-41069 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
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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