Apple Use-After-Free Vulnerability Fixed in iOS/iPadOS 17

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV)

Detected March 13th, 2026

Summary

CISA has added a use-after-free vulnerability (CVE-2023-41974) affecting Apple iOS and iPadOS to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The vulnerability, which could allow an app to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, has been fixed by Apple in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, iOS 15.8.7, and iPadOS 15.8.7.

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What changed

CISA has added CVE-2023-41974, a critical use-after-free vulnerability in Apple's iOS and iPadOS, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. This vulnerability, identified by Apple Inc., allows an application to potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple has released patches for this issue in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, iOS 15.8.7, and iPadOS 15.8.7.

Federal agencies are required to review and patch their affected systems by March 5, 2026, to mitigate the risk of exploitation. Organizations using affected Apple devices should ensure their operating systems are updated to the patched versions to prevent potential security breaches. Failure to comply with CISA directives may result in further action.

What to do next

Update affected Apple devices to iOS 17, iPadOS 17, iOS 15.8.7, or iPadOS 15.8.7.
Review systems for exploitation attempts related to CVE-2023-41974.

Penalties

Federal agencies are required to patch affected systems by the specified deadline. Non-compliance may lead to further action by CISA.

Source document (simplified)

Required CVE Record Information

CNA: Apple Inc.

Description

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.

Product Status

Learn more Versions 1 Total

Default Status: unknown

affected

affected before 17 Versions 1 Total

Default Status: unknown

affected

affected before 15.8.7

References 2 Total

CVE Program

Updated:

2025-11-04

This container includes required additional information provided by the CVE Program for this vulnerability.

References 2 Total

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213938 x_transferred
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213938

Authorized Data Publishers

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CISA-ADP

Updated:

2026-03-06

SSVC and KEV, plus CVSS and CWE if not provided by the CNA.

SSVC 1 Total

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| Exploitation | Automatable | Technical Impact | Version | Date Accessed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| active | no | total | 2.0.3 | 2024-01-22 |

KEV 1 Total

Learn more
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-41974 (2026-03-05)

CWE 1 Total

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- CWE-416: CWE-416 Use After Free

CVSS 1 Total

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| Score | Severity | Version | Vector String |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 7.8 | HIGH | 3.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |