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

CVE-2012-3744

CVE-2012-3744

Description

Apple iOS before 6 allows SMS sender spoofing by using the return address as the displayed sender, enabling text communication impersonation.

AI Insight

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

Apple iOS before 6 allows SMS sender spoofing by using the return address as the displayed sender, enabling text communication impersonation.

Vulnerability

The Telephony component in Apple iOS versions prior to 6 uses the SMS message's return address as the displayed sender address. This design flaw allows the sender field to be decoupled from the actual originating address, enabling spoofing of text communication. Affected versions include all iOS releases before iOS 6 [1].

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending an SMS message where the return address does not match the originating address. No authentication or user interaction is required beyond the recipient receiving the message. The attacker only needs the ability to send SMS messages with a forged return address, which is possible through various SMS gateways or compromised devices.

Impact

A successful exploit allows the attacker to impersonate any sender address in SMS communications. This can be used for phishing, social engineering, or other deceptive activities, as the recipient sees a trusted or familiar sender name or number. The impact is primarily on the integrity and trustworthiness of SMS-based communication, potentially leading to information disclosure or further compromise if the recipient acts on the spoofed message.

Mitigation

The vulnerability is fixed in iOS 6, which was released on September 19, 2012. Users should update their devices to iOS 6 or later via iTunes [1]. No workarounds are available for earlier versions. The issue is not listed on the CISA 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

4

News mentions

0

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