CVE-2023-42973 Auth bypass in iOS and iPadOS
Attackers can access Private Browsing tabs without authentication, exposing sensitive browsing history on iOS and iPadOS devices.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2023-42973?
CVE-2023-42973 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Apple Ipados, published on 11 Apr 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Private Browsing tabs may be accessed without authentication. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The issue was addressed with improved UI.
Weakness: CWE-285
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-42973?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Apple Ipados, Apple Iphone Os.
How do I fix CVE-2023-42973?
No fix has been published for CVE-2023-42973 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-2023-42973 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-42973 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-cmwf-4hcv-45rc.