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CVE Record

CVE-2023-42949: This issue was addressed with improved data protection.

This issue was addressed with improved data protection. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, watchOS 10, tvOS 17. An app may be able to access edited photos saved to a temporary directory.

LowCVSS 3.3Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysislow

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2023-42949 is a low-severity Apple privacy issue. A local app may be able to access edited photos that were saved in a temporary directory. The business impact is limited confidentiality exposure, mainly where users edit sensitive images on affected Apple devices.

Executive priority

Treat this as routine patch management, not an emergency. The issue can expose edited photos to a local app, but public sources provided here show low severity and no confirmed active exploitation.

Technical view

Apple describes an improved data-protection fix for iOS/iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. CVSS 3.1 is 3.3: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and low confidentiality impact only. The bundle does not provide affected version ranges beyond the listed fixed releases.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on Apple devices not updated to the fixed platform releases: iOS 17/iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17. Exact vulnerable version ranges are not supplied in the source bundle.

Exploitation context

No source in the bundle states active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked as CISA KEV. Exploitation would require a local app context with privileges sufficient to access the relevant temporary photo data path.

Researcher notes

The key limitation is source detail. Apple’s description is brief and gives the impact and fixed releases, but not root cause, vulnerable version ranges, affected APIs, or detection indicators. Avoid assuming broader Photos library compromise from the provided evidence.

Mitigation direction

  • Update affected Apple platforms to the fixed releases named by Apple.
  • Use MDM inventory to prioritize managed devices below those fixed release levels.
  • Check Apple security update pages for any platform-specific guidance or later superseding updates.
  • Limit use of untrusted apps on devices handling sensitive edited photos.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory iOS/iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS versions across managed assets.
  • Confirm devices meet or exceed the Apple fixed releases listed for this CVE.
  • Flag unsupported or unpatched devices for risk acceptance or replacement review.
  • Review vendor advisories if exact affected version boundaries are required.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
6

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.

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CVE-2023-42949 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
Low
CVSS
3.3 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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
3.3CVSS 3.1LowCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N1.81.4Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

3.3Low
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2023-42949Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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
AppletvOSunspecifiedListed
ApplemacOSunspecifiedListed
ApplewatchOSunspecifiedListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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