Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-42928 is an Apple iOS and iPadOS flaw where an app may gain elevated privileges. Apple says it was fixed with improved bounds checks in iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1. Treat unupdated managed iPhones and iPads as the business exposure.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation in normal high-severity mobile patch cycles, especially for executives, administrators, and staff handling sensitive data. There is no sourced evidence of active exploitation here, but privilege escalation on mobile endpoints can materially worsen compromise from a malicious app.
Technical view
Apple describes a local privilege escalation issue fixed by improved bounds checks. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.4 with local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Public details do not name the vulnerable component or exact affected version range.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely iPhones and iPads running iOS or iPadOS versions before 17.1. The source bundle lists affected versions as unspecified, so confirm applicability against Apple’s advisory and device inventory rather than assuming all releases are affected.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV status, and no provided source claims active exploitation. The described attacker position is local: a malicious or compromised app running on the device may attempt privilege escalation.
Researcher notes
Public evidence is sparse. Apple provides the impact statement and fix version but not the vulnerable subsystem, proof of concept, indicators, or affected version range. Validation should focus on version compliance and advisory tracking, not exploit reproduction.
Mitigation direction
- Update affected iPhones to iOS 17.1 or later supported releases.
- Update affected iPads to iPadOS 17.1 or later supported releases.
- Use MDM compliance policies to block or quarantine outdated devices.
- Check Apple’s advisory for device-specific applicability and later superseding guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all managed iOS and iPadOS devices and record OS versions.
- Confirm each in-scope device is running iOS or iPadOS 17.1 or later.
- Review MDM reports for noncompliant or unmanaged devices.
- Check Apple advisory references for any updated affected-version details.
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
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CWE-276: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-42928 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
- High
- CVSS
- 8.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.55.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.4HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213982CVE 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.
Incorrect Default Permissions
Incorrect Default Permissions represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.