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CVE Record

CVE-2023-40438: An issue was addressed with improved handling of temporary files.

An 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.

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Apple vulnerability could let a local app access edited photos that were saved in a temporary directory. The main business risk is confidentiality of sensitive images on affected iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. Apple says the issue was fixed in macOS Sonoma 14 and iOS/iPadOS 16.7.

Executive priority

Treat as a moderate confidentiality issue. It is not evidenced as actively exploited, but remediation should be included in normal Apple patch cycles and accelerated for users who handle sensitive images.

Technical view

CVE-2023-40438 is a CWE-379 temporary-file handling issue in Apple iOS/iPadOS and macOS. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, user interaction required, high confidentiality impact, no integrity or availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most relevant where users edit sensitive photos on Apple devices running versions before the fixed releases. The source bundle lists affected iOS/iPadOS and macOS versions only as unspecified, so exact vulnerable version ranges are not evidenced here.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show active exploitation, and KEV status is false. The CVSS vector indicates local access and user interaction are required, which limits scale but does not remove confidentiality risk for targeted users.

Researcher notes

The evidence identifies temporary-file handling and access to edited photos, but not a specific component, exact affected version range, or exploit details. Avoid assuming broader file access beyond edited photos saved to a temporary directory.

Mitigation direction

  • Update iOS and iPadOS devices to 16.7 or later where supported.
  • Update Mac devices to macOS Sonoma 14 or later where supported.
  • Check Apple advisories for device-specific upgrade guidance and superseding fixes.
  • Prioritize devices used by executives, legal, HR, finance, or field teams handling sensitive images.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Apple endpoints and record current iOS, iPadOS, and macOS versions.
  • Confirm managed iPhone and iPad devices are on iOS/iPadOS 16.7 or later.
  • Confirm managed Macs are on macOS Sonoma 14 or later where applicable.
  • Review MDM compliance reports for devices below the fixed releases.
  • Map remediation evidence to CVE-2023-40438 in vulnerability tracking records.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-379: Exact CWE lookup

Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2023-40438 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
5Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
5.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N1.83.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2023-40438Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
AppleiOS and iPadOSunspecifiedListed
ApplemacOSunspecifiedListed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-379

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-379 · source CWE mapping

Creation of Temporary File in Directory with Insecure Permissions

Creation of Temporary File in Directory with Insecure Permissions represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

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