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CVE Record

CVE-2023-42855: This issue was addressed with improved state management.

This issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1. An attacker with physical access may be able to silently persist an Apple ID on an erased device.

MediumCVSS 4.6Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Apple issue could let someone with physical access keep an Apple ID tied to an iPhone or iPad even after the device is erased. The business risk is mainly device availability, handoff, resale, or redeployment disruption rather than remote data theft. Apple fixed it in iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1.

Executive priority

Prioritize this for managed mobile fleets, especially organizations that frequently erase and reassign Apple devices. It is not a remote compromise issue based on the sources, but it can disrupt device recovery, resale, or redeployment if unpatched devices are physically accessible.

Technical view

CVE-2023-42855 is an iOS/iPadOS state-management flaw fixed with improved state handling. The published impact says a physically present attacker may silently persist an Apple ID on an erased device. CVSS 3.1 is 4.6 with physical attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on iPhone and iPad devices running iOS or iPadOS versions before 17.1, especially in workflows involving erase, resale, repair, return, or corporate redeployment. The source bundle does not name exact affected minor versions before the fixed releases.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or any cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires physical access, which lowers internet-scale risk but matters for lost, stolen, repaired, shared, or reassigned devices.

Researcher notes

The available record is sparse: no CWE is assigned, affected versions are unspecified, and Apple describes the fix only as improved state management. Avoid assuming data confidentiality impact or remote exploitability. Focus validation on OS version, physical access controls, and erase/reprovisioning behavior.

Mitigation direction

  • Update eligible iPhones to iOS 17.1 or later.
  • Update eligible iPads to iPadOS 17.1 or later.
  • Require OS update before device erase, resale, or reassignment.
  • Restrict physical access to corporate devices awaiting wipe or redeployment.
  • Check Apple guidance for any device-specific recovery instructions.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory iOS and iPadOS versions across managed devices.
  • Confirm all redeployed devices run 17.1 or later.
  • Review wipe and handoff workflows for update-before-erase enforcement.
  • Check MDM records for unexpected Apple ID or activation state issues.
  • Escalate devices with unexplained Apple ID persistence to Apple guidance.
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

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CVE-2023-42855 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
4.6 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

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
3Source 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
4.6CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H0.93.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

4.6Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2023-42855Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

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
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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