Sensitive user-data access via environment-variable validation
Published Jan 10, 2024 · Updated Jun 20, 2025
Improper input validation in Apple iOS and iPadOS before 16.6 allows local users to access sensitive user data through a malicious app. The Logging component insufficiently validates environment variables before processing them, but Apple has not disclosed the affected function or data path. Exploitation requires a user to run an app on an affected device, and the disclosed consequence is limited to sensitive user-data access.
Summary
What happened
Improper input validation in Apple iOS and iPadOS before 16.6 allows local users to access sensitive user data through a malicious app. The Logging component insufficiently validates environment variables before processing them, but Apple has not disclosed the affected function or data path. Exploitation requires a user to run an app on an affected device, and the disclosed consequence is limited to sensitive user-data access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-40394
- Published
- Jan 10, 2024
- Updated
- Jun 20, 2025
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- iOS and iPadOS
- Classifications
- CWE-20, T1533
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 10, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 20, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=unspecified <16.6
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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