CVE-2023-42824
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 · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.7.1 and iPadOS 16.7.1. A local attacker may be able to elevate their privileges. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.6.
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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in iOS and iPadOS. A local attacker could exploit improper checks to elevate their privileges on the device. The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild (zero-day) against iOS versions prior to iOS 16.6 and was patched in iOS 16.7.1 and iPadOS 16.7.1.
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< 16.7.1>= 17.0, < 17.0.3< 16.7.1>= 17.0, < 17.0.3CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 iOS versionOpen Settings > General > About on the iPhone or iPad. Note the version number displayed next to 'Version'.Affected if The version is below 16.7.1, or is 17.0, 17.0.1, or 17.0.2 (versions 17.0 through 17.0.2 are vulnerable)
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Check iPadOS versionOpen Settings > General > About on the iPad. Note the version number displayed next to 'Version'.Affected if The version is below 16.7.1, or is 17.0, 17.0.1, or 17.0.2 (versions 17.0 through 17.0.2 are vulnerable)
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Confirm device model and OS pairingVerify the device type (iPhone or iPad) in Settings > General > About matches the appropriate version check. iPhones run iOS, iPads run iPadOS but may show as iOS in some views.Affected if The installed OS version does not match the expected version range for that device type
The device is affected if it is running any iOS or iPadOS version below 16.7.1, or running version 17.0, 17.0.1, or 17.0.2.
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 · scoped16.7.117.0.3
Apply iOS 16.7.1 or iPadOS 16.7.1 (or later) to resolve the vulnerability. Devices running iOS 16.6 or later are not affected.
iOS 16.7.1 and iPadOS 16.7.1 (for iOS 16.x devices) or iOS 17.0.3 and iPadOS 17.0.3 (for iOS 17.x devices)
- Back up your iPhone or iPad using iCloud or your computer to preserve data
- Connect your device to Wi-Fi and ensure it has at least 50% battery or is plugged into a power source
- Open the Settings app on your device
- Tap General, then tap Software Update
- If iOS 17.0.3 or iPadOS 17.0.3 (or iOS 16.7.1/iPadOS 16.7.1 for older devices) is available, tap Download and Install
- Enter your passcode if prompted and agree to the terms and conditions
- The device will download the update and prompt you to Install Now; tap Install Now or schedule the installation for later
- Allow the device to restart; the update process may take several minutes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42824 — 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-2023-42824 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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- 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
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