Local privilege escalation through undisclosed kernel checks
Published Oct 4, 2023 · Updated Nov 4, 2025
Kernel privilege escalation in Apple iOS and iPadOS before 16.7.1 allows local users to gain elevated privileges. The Kernel performs insufficient checks, but Apple has not disclosed the affected operation, input, or privilege boundary. A local foothold is required; successful exploitation crosses a kernel privilege boundary, and Apple reported active exploitation against iOS before 16.6.
Summary
What happened
Kernel privilege escalation in Apple iOS and iPadOS before 16.7.1 allows local users to gain elevated privileges. The Kernel performs insufficient checks, but Apple has not disclosed the affected operation, input, or privilege boundary. A local foothold is required; successful exploitation crosses a kernel privilege boundary, and Apple reported active exploitation against iOS before 16.6.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-42824
- Published
- Oct 4, 2023
- Updated
- Nov 4, 2025
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- iOS and iPadOS
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 4, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 5, 2023Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entry
- 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 <16.7
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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Reported exploitation
- Apple report of active exploitationreported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entryknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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