Apple iOS/iPadOS up to 16.6 temp file

CVSS Meta Temp Score
CVSS is a standardized scoring system to determine possibilities of attacks. The Temp Score considers temporal factors like disclosure, exploit and countermeasures. The unique Meta Score calculates the average score of different sources to provide a normalized scoring system.
Current Exploit Price (≈)
Our analysts are monitoring exploit markets and are in contact with vulnerability brokers. The range indicates the observed or calculated exploit price to be seen on exploit markets. A good indicator to understand the monetary effort required for and the popularity of an attack.
CTI Interest Score
Our Cyber Threat Intelligence team is monitoring different web sites, mailing lists, exploit markets and social media networks. The CTI Interest Score identifies the interest of attackers and the security community for this specific vulnerability in real-time. A high score indicates an elevated risk to be targeted for this vulnerability.
5.3$5k-$25k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability identified as problematic has been detected in Apple iOS and iPadOS up to 16.6. The affected element is an unknown function. This manipulation causes temp file. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2023-40438. The attack can only be executed locally. There is no exploit available. You should upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in Apple iOS and iPadOS up to 16.6 (Smartphone Operating System). Affected by this vulnerability is some unknown functionality. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a temp file vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-377. Creating and using insecure temporary files can leave application and system data vulnerable to attack. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

An issue was addressed with improved handling of temporary files. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7. An app may be able to access edited photos saved to a temporary directory.

The weakness was shared 01/11/2024. It is possible to read the advisory at support.apple.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2023-40438 since 08/14/2023. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 06/21/2025). It is expected to see the exploit prices for this product increasing in the near future.

Upgrading to version 16.7 eliminates this vulnerability.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at EUVD (EUVD-2023-45009). Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

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Vendor

Name

Version

License

Website

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 5.4
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 5.3

VulDB Base Score: 5.3
VulDB Temp Score: 5.1
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 5.5
NVD Vector: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Temp file
CWE: CWE-377
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Partially

Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔍

Upgrade: iOS/iPadOS 16.7

Timelineinfo

08/14/2023 🔍
01/11/2024 +150 days 🔍
01/11/2024 +0 days 🔍
06/21/2025 +526 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: apple.com

Advisory: support.apple.com
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2023-40438 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2023-40438
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-250399
EUVD: 🔍
scip Labs: https://www.scip.ch/en/?labs.20150917

Entryinfo

Created: 01/11/2024 08:35
Updated: 06/21/2025 00:45
Changes: 01/11/2024 08:35 (40), 01/30/2024 09:50 (11), 06/20/2025 20:03 (16), 06/21/2025 00:45 (1)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

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