dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2024-54488

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.7.2 / 14.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
A logic issue was addressed with improved file handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Sonoma 14.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.7.2. Photos in the Hidden Photos Album may be viewed without authentication.

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 confidence

A logic flaw in Apple's Photos application allowed the Hidden Photos Album to be accessed without requiring Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode authentication, enabling unauthorized viewing of hidden photos. This is a security bypass vulnerability affecting iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

MitigationUpdate to iOS 18.2/iPadOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Sonoma 14.7.2, or macOS Ventura 13.7.2 (or later) which contain the fix for this authentication bypass.

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:< 17.7.3>= 18.0, < 18.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 13.7.2>= 14.0, < 14.7.2>= 15.0, < 15.2

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 or iPadOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Open Settings app, tap General, tap About, and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'
    Affected if The version is less than 18.2, or is in the range 17.7.3 and above but less than 18.2 (for iPadOS), or less than 17.7.3 (for iOS)
  2. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner, select About This Mac, and note the version number under the macOS name
    Affected if The version is less than 13.7.2, or is in the range 14.0 to 14.7.1, or is in the range 15.0 to 15.1
  3. Confirm Hidden Photos Album presence
    Open the Photos app, scroll to the Libraries or Albums section, and look for an album labeled Hidden
    Affected if The Hidden album is visible and present in the Photos app interface without any authentication prompt having been triggered

A device is affected if it runs a vulnerable iOS, iPadOS, or macOS version (as checked in steps 1-2) and has the Hidden Photos Album accessible within the Photos app (as confirmed in step 3).

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 13.7.2 / 14.7.2 / 15.2 or later
Fixed in 13.7.214.7.215.2
Interim mitigation

Update to iOS 18.2/iPadOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Sonoma 14.7.2, or macOS Ventura 13.7.2 (or later) which contain the fix for this authentication bypass.

Recommended fix High confidence

iPadOS 17.7.3 or iPadOS 18.2 | iOS 18.2 | macOS Ventura 13.7.2 | macOS Sonoma 14.7.2 | macOS Sequoia 15.2

  1. For iPadOS users: Upgrade to iPadOS 17.7.3 (for 17.x users) or iPadOS 18.2 (for 18.x users) via Settings > General > Software Update
  2. For iPhone users: Upgrade to iOS 18.2 via Settings > General > Software Update
  3. For macOS Ventura (13.x) users: Upgrade to macOS 13.7.2 via System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For macOS Sonoma (14.x) users: Upgrade to macOS 14.7.2 via System Settings > General > Software Update
  5. For macOS Sequoia (15.x) users: Upgrade to macOS 15.2 via System Settings > General > Software Update
  6. After upgrade, verify the Hidden Photos Album now requires authentication before viewing
Caveat Standard iOS/macOS upgrade considerations apply - review app compatibility and back up data before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2024-54488 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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