+44 1865 950 828 Secure Your Business
Actively exploited

CVE-2023-41974 Apple iOS and iPadOS Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Apple iOS and iPadOS contain a use-after-free vulnerability. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

From the CISA KEV catalogue version 2026.11.06, with Cybergen analysis. Updated 6 Nov 2026.

Our Assessment

Should You Worry?

Patch urgentlyCybergen assessment
  • CISA confirmed exploitation in the wild and added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 5 Mar 2026.
  • Rated High severity (CVSS 7.8, scored by CISA).
  • It has been in the catalogue for 246 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
The Vulnerability

What It Is

A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, iOS 15.8.7 and iPadOS 15.8.7. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

Affected Versions

ProductVersions
Apple iOS and iPadOSunspecified to before 17
Apple iOS and iPadOSunspecified to before 15.8.7

From the public CVE record, as supplied by the vendor. Always confirm against the vendor advisory.

From Watch to Action

What To Do Now

  1. 1

    Find it

    Search your asset inventory and external attack surface for Apple iOS and iPadOS. Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.

    Attack Surface Management
  2. 2

    Fix it

    Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

    Vulnerability Management
  3. 3

    Hunt for compromise

    If an affected system was reachable before you patched, assume it may have been hit. Check logs, new accounts, web shells and outbound connections from the date of exposure.

    Incident Response
  4. 4

    Prove it is fixed

    Rescan or test the system after patching. Upgrades that fail silently and forgotten secondary instances are common.

    Penetration Testing

Vendor Advisories

Regulation

The Compliance Clock

Cyber EssentialsRated high, so if it affects devices in your Cyber Essentials scope, the update must be installed within 14 days of the vendor releasing it.NIS2If exploitation causes a significant incident, essential and important entities owe their CSIRT an early warning within 24 hours and a notification within 72 hours.DORAFinancial entities must classify ICT incidents and send an initial notification for a major incident within strict deadlines, with exploited flaws a common cause.US federal (BOD 22-01)Federal civilian agencies had until 26 Mar 2026 to remediate. A sensible benchmark for everyone else.

General guidance, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, scope and jurisdiction.

Stay Ahead

More Exploited Apple Flaws

Get alerts for AppleWe email you when a new Apple vulnerability is confirmed as exploited. Add more vendors on Threat Watch.

By signing up you agree to receive Threat Watch alerts. Unsubscribe at any time. See our Privacy Policy.

CVE-2024-27834Apple Multiple Products Improper Authentication VulnerabilityAdded 4 Nov 2026CVE-2026-86950Apple Multiple Products Out-of-Bounds Write VulnerabilityAdded 29 Sep 2026CVE-2026-65400Apple macOS Improper Authentication VulnerabilityAdded 18 Aug 2026CVE-2025-43510Apple Multiple Products Improper Locking VulnerabilityAdded 20 Mar 2026CVE-2025-43520Apple Multiple Products Classic Buffer Overflow VulnerabilityAdded 20 Mar 2026CVE-2025-31277Apple Multiple Products Buffer Overflow VulnerabilityAdded 20 Mar 2026

All 96 exploited Apple vulnerabilities

Not Sure If You Are Exposed?

Our attack surface and vulnerability teams can check your internet-facing estate for CVE-2023-41974 and every other exploited flaw on the list.

Check My Exposure
Evidence

Sources

  1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue
  2. NVD: CVE-2023-41974
  3. CVE record: CVE-2023-41974
  4. FIRST EPSS
  5. support.apple.com/en-us/HT213938
  6. support.apple.com/kb/HT213938
  7. support.apple.com/en-us/120949
  8. support.apple.com/en-us/126632