CVE-2023-23523 Auth bypass in iOS and iPadOS
Attackers can view hidden photos without authentication via Visual Lookup, exposing private data on Apple devices.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2023-23523?
CVE-2023-23523 is a low-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Apple Ipados, published on 8 May 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
A logic issue was addressed with improved restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. Photos belonging to the Hidden Photos Album could be viewed without authentication through Visual Lookup.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-23523?
It affects 3 products.
Products include Apple Ipados, Apple Iphone Os, Apple Macos.
How do I fix CVE-2023-23523?
No fix has been published for CVE-2023-23523 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and rotate credentials and sessions that may have been exposed. More about Authentication bypass.
Is CVE-2023-23523 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-23523 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Apple Ipados
- CVE-2025-43300 Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Out-of-Bounds Write
- CVE-2025-24201 Apple Multiple Products WebKit Out-of-Bounds Write
- CVE-2025-24085 Apple Multiple Products Use-After-Free
- CVE-2025-31200 Apple Multiple Products Memory Corruption
- CVE-2025-31201 Apple Multiple Products Arbitrary Read and Write
Sources
Also known as GHSA-pm8c-p624-72x2.