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Unrated severityNVD Advisory· Published Sep 20, 2012· Updated Apr 29, 2026

CVE-2012-3737

CVE-2012-3737

Description

An iOS Passcode Lock bypass lets physically proximate attackers view arbitrary stored photos by spoofing a time value, fixed in iOS 6.

AI Insight

LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.

An iOS Passcode Lock bypass lets physically proximate attackers view arbitrary stored photos by spoofing a time value, fixed in iOS 6.

Vulnerability

The Passcode Lock implementation in Apple iOS before 6 does not properly restrict photo viewing when an attacker spoofs a time value. The issue allows bypassing the device's passcode protection to access stored photos. Affected versions: iOS 1 through 5.x (all versions prior to 6) [1].

Exploitation

An attacker must have physical proximity to an unlocked or unauthenticated device with a passcode enabled. By manipulating or spoofing the time value—potentially through the device's time settings or a network time protocol exploit—the attacker can trigger the photo viewer without entering the correct passcode. The precise steps involve accessing the camera roll or photo app during the lock screen or after a failed authentication attempt, exploiting the time-based check [1].

Impact

A successful exploit allows the attacker to view any stored photos on the device without authentication. This results in a breach of confidentiality, as sensitive or private images become accessible to an unauthorized user with physical access. No other device functions or data are compromised in this particular attack [1].

Mitigation

Apple addressed the issue in iOS 6, which was released on September 19, 2012. Users should update their devices to iOS 6 or later via iTunes [1]. No workaround exists for vulnerable versions; devices that cannot update to iOS 6 (e.g., original iPhone, iPhone 3G) are not affected as they do not support iOS 6. The vulnerability is not listed on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

References
  1. About the security content of iOS 6 - Apple Support

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

41
  • Apple Inc./Iphone OS40 versions
    cpe: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:2.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    • 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:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • Apple Inc./iOSllm-fuzzy
    Range: <6

Patches

0

No patches discovered yet.

Vulnerability mechanics

AI mechanics synthesis has not run for this CVE yet.

References

3

News mentions

0

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