The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.7.1 and iPadOS 16.7.1. A local attacker may be able to elevate their privileges. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.6.
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-42824 is rated Critical Active Threat (82.9/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.99%). Core evidence: CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2023-10-05) affecting Apple / iOS and iPadOS. Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. Mandatory action: The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
: Apple iOS and iPadOS Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail
: 2023-10-05
: 2023-10-26
: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-02-27 | 1.12% | 0.99% | -0.12% |
| 2 | 2026-02-18 | 1.36% | 1.12% | -0.25% |
| 3 | 2026-01-02 | — | 1.36% | — |
Full EPSS history (21 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8 | 3.1 | HIGH |
|
1.8 | 5.9 | [email protected] |
| 7.8 | 3.1 | HIGH |
|
1.8 | 5.9 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 |
| Vendor | Product | Version | Raw CPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| apple | ipados | < 16.7.1 | cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| apple | ipados | >= 17.0, < 17.0.3 | cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| apple | iphone_os | < 16.7.1 | cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| apple | iphone_os | >= 17.0, < 17.0.3 | cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| URL | Tags |
|---|---|
| https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213972 | Vendor Advisory |
| https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213961 | Vendor Advisory |
| https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213972 | Vendor Advisory |
| https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-42824 | US Government Resource |