Privilege escalation via insufficient Simulator checks
Published Sep 26, 2023 · Updated Nov 4, 2025
Privilege escalation in Apple iOS and iPadOS before 17, tvOS before 17, and watchOS before 10 allows local users to gain elevated privileges. The Simulator component performs insufficient checks, but Apple has not disclosed the checked object, operation, or trust boundary. Exploitation requires a locally running app and can elevate that app beyond its assigned privileges.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Apple iOS and iPadOS before 17, tvOS before 17, and watchOS before 10 allows local users to gain elevated privileges. The Simulator component performs insufficient checks, but Apple has not disclosed the checked object, operation, or trust boundary. Exploitation requires a locally running app and can elevate that app beyond its assigned privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-40419
- Published
- Sep 26, 2023
- Updated
- Nov 4, 2025
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- iOS and iPadOS
- Classifications
- T1626
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 26, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 4, 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 <17
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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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