# CVE-2012-3698: Security feature bypass in n/a

> Remote attackers can read keychain entries by exploiting improper designated requirement composition in unsigned apps, affecting Xcode users.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.0 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 Jul 2012
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r884-mmm7-r52p

## What is CVE-2012-3698?

CVE-2012-3698 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apple Xcode, published on 26 Jul 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Apple Xcode before 4.4 does not properly compose a designated requirement (DR) during signing of programs that lack bundle identifiers, which allows remote attackers to read keychain entries via a crafted app, as demonstrated by the keychain entries of a (1) helper tool or (2) command-line tool.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-3698?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Apple Xcode.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-3698?

No fix has been published for CVE-2012-3698 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2012-3698 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-3698 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Apple Xcode

- [CVE-2025-48384](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48384/): Git Link Following (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-9390](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-9390/): JGit Improper Input Validation vulnerability (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-14379](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-14379/): Deserialization of untrusted data in FasterXML jackson-databind (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-4164](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-4164/): An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-0746](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-0746/): Use after free in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-3698 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-3698 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apple Xcode, published on 26 Jul 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-3698 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Apple Xcode. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-3698/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-3698/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-3698
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-3698
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-3698

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-3698/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.