Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Apple issue could let a local app read sensitive user data that should have been redacted from log entries. The business risk is privacy exposure on unmanaged or outdated Apple devices, not system takeover.
Executive priority
Treat this as a routine but real privacy-risk update. It should be included in normal Apple patch cycles, with higher priority for executive, regulated, or sensitive-data users.
Technical view
CVE-2023-42878 is a CWE-922 sensitive-information-in-log-file issue. Apple addressed it by improving private data redaction in log entries. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, high confidentiality impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Apple devices not updated to the fixed releases: iOS/iPadOS 17.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1, and watchOS 10.1. The source bundle does not identify exact vulnerable build ranges before those fixes.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not provide evidence of active exploitation, and KEV is false. The described attacker is a local app with some privileges, seeking sensitive user data through insufficiently redacted logs.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to Apple and CVE metadata. Validate by version posture, not exploit reproduction. The public description names log redaction and sensitive user data exposure but does not provide affected build ranges or exploit details.
Mitigation direction
- Install Apple fixed releases for iOS/iPadOS, macOS Sonoma, and watchOS.
- Prioritize managed devices handling sensitive user or business data.
- Check Apple advisories for newer supported versions and deployment guidance.
- Restrict untrusted or unnecessary apps on devices pending updates.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Apple devices by OS family and version.
- Confirm iOS/iPadOS devices are updated to 17.1 or fixed newer releases.
- Confirm macOS Sonoma devices are updated to 14.1 or fixed newer releases.
- Confirm watchOS devices are updated to 10.1 or fixed newer releases.
- Review MDM compliance reports for devices missing these fixes.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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-922: 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.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-42878 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe 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.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213984CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213988CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213982CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213988CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213984CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213982CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information
Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.