CVE-2012-3734
Description
Office Viewer in iOS before 6 writes cleartext document data to a temporary file, allowing local users to bypass Data Protection or encryption.
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
Office Viewer in iOS before 6 writes cleartext document data to a temporary file, allowing local users to bypass Data Protection or encryption.
Vulnerability
Office Viewer in Apple iOS versions prior to 6 writes document data in cleartext to a temporary file on the device. This behavior occurs when viewing documents through the Office Viewer component, and the temporary file is created without applying the intended Data Protection or encryption mechanisms. Affected versions include all iOS releases before 6. [1]
Exploitation
An attacker with local access to the device (e.g., a malicious app or someone with physical access) can read the temporary file containing the cleartext document data. No special privileges or user interaction beyond opening a document in Office Viewer are required. The attacker simply needs to locate and read the temporary file from the file system. [1]
Impact
Successful exploitation allows the attacker to bypass the document's intended Data Protection level or encryption state, leading to unauthorized disclosure of the document's contents. This compromises the confidentiality of sensitive information stored in documents viewed with Office Viewer. [1]
Mitigation
Apple addressed this issue in iOS 6, released on September 19, 2012. Users should update their devices to iOS 6 or later via iTunes. No workarounds are available for earlier versions. [1]
AI Insight generated on May 24, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
41cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*+ 39 more
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*range: <=5.1.1
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.1.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:1.1.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:2.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:2.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:2.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:2.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:3.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:3.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:3.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:3.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:3.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.2.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.2.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.3.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:4.3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:5.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- Range: < 6
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
AI mechanics synthesis has not run for this CVE yet.
References
4- lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2012/Sep/msg00003.htmlnvdVendor Advisory
- support.apple.com/kb/HT5503nvdVendor Advisory
- osvdb.org/85642nvd
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/78709nvd
News mentions
0No linked articles in our index yet.