CVE-2023-41968 Path traversal in iOS and iPadOS
An app can read arbitrary files due to insufficient symlink validation, affecting Apple operating systems.
- 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-2023-41968?
CVE-2023-41968 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Apple Ipados, published on 26 Sep 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
This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.6, tvOS 17, macOS Monterey 12.7, watchOS 10, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14. An app may be able to read arbitrary files.
Weakness: CWE-59
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-41968?
It affects 5 products.
Products include Apple Ipados, Apple Iphone Os, Apple Macos, Apple Tvos, Apple Watchos.
How do I fix CVE-2023-41968?
No fix has been published for CVE-2023-41968 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2023-41968 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-41968 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-f7p3-fcmr-gw5f.