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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2017-2351 Apple CVE debrief

CVE-2017-2351 describes a low-severity Apple iOS issue affecting devices before 10.2.1. According to the CVE description, a physically proximate attacker could bypass Activation Lock and reach the home screen through unspecified vectors involving the Wi‑Fi component. NVD classifies the weakness as CWE-20 and rates the attack vector as physical, which limits exposure to nearby attackers rather than remote exploitation. Apple’s advisory is the primary vendor reference in the supplied corpus.

Vendor
Apple
Product
CVE-2017-2351
CVSS
LOW 2.4
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-20
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-20
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Organizations and individuals managing Apple iOS devices running versions earlier than 10.2.1, especially environments that rely on Activation Lock as a theft-deterrence control. Mobile device administrators and support teams should treat this as a device-access protection issue for affected iPhones and iPads.

Technical summary

The supplied record indicates an issue in the iOS Wi‑Fi component that could allow bypass of Activation Lock on iOS versions before 10.2.1. The result described is access to the home screen, which implies loss of intended device-lock protection. NVD maps the affected CPE to apple:iphone_os versions through 10.2.0 and assigns CVSS 3.0 AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N, consistent with a physically proximate, low-complexity issue with limited confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability impact in the score.

Defensive priority

Moderate for fleets that still include unsupported or unpatched legacy iOS devices; otherwise low. The issue is physically proximate and low severity, but it weakens a core anti-theft control, so remediation matters where affected devices remain in use or may be exposed to hands-on access.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Confirm whether any managed Apple devices are running iOS versions earlier than 10.2.1.
  • Prioritize updating affected devices to a vendor-patched release referenced by Apple’s advisory.
  • Treat Activation Lock as a deterrent, not a substitute for timely OS patching.
  • Review inventory for legacy devices that cannot be updated and consider retirement or compensating controls.
  • Use the Apple support advisory and NVD detail to validate affected-version scope before taking action.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based only on the supplied CVE record and official references. The CVE description states that iOS before 10.2.1 is affected and that physically proximate attackers may bypass Activation Lock and view the home screen. The NVD metadata lists the vulnerable CPE for apple:iphone_os through version 10.2.0 and classifies the weakness as CWE-20, with CVSS 3.0 vector AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N. Apple’s advisory URL is included in the source references. No exploit details or unverified remediation specifics are included here.

Official resources

Publicly disclosed on 2017-02-20. The supplied record was later modified on 2026-05-13, but that date reflects metadata updates rather than the original vulnerability disclosure.