HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-12271
MEDIUM

CVE-2018-12271

CWE-287Published: June 13, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.4
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in the com.getdropbox.Dropbox app 100.2 for iOS. The LAContext class for Biometric (TouchID) validation allows authentication bypass by overriding the LAContext return Boolean value to be "true" because the kSecAccessControlUserPresence protection mechanism is not used. In other words, an attacker could authenticate with an arbitrary fingerprint. NOTE: the vendor indicates that this is not an attack of interest within the context of their threat model, which excludes iOS devices on which a jailbreak has occurred

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-12271 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 6.4.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-287): Authentication bypass vulnerabilities allow attackers to access protected resources without valid credentials.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorPhysical
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

dropbox1 product(s)
dropbox
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://gist.github.com/tanprathan/6e8ed195a2e05b7f9d9a342dbdacb349
ADVISORYhttps://hackerone.com/reports/363544
ADVISORYhttps://gist.github.com/tanprathan/6e8ed195a2e05b7f9d9a342dbdacb349
ADVISORYhttps://hackerone.com/reports/363544

All References (6)

→
https://gist.github.com/tanprathan/6e8ed195a2e05b7f9d9a342dbdacb349Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory · Tool Signature
→
https://hackerone.com/reports/363544Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n880ob3gtvfwryu/20180609_013320.mp4?dl=0Broken Link · Permissions Required
→
https://gist.github.com/tanprathan/6e8ed195a2e05b7f9d9a342dbdacb349Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory · Tool Signature
→
https://hackerone.com/reports/363544Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n880ob3gtvfwryu/20180609_013320.mp4?dl=0Broken Link · Permissions Required

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-12271
CVSS Score6.4 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-287
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJun 13, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-287)

CVE-2011-4051
10.0
CVE-2002-2417
10.0
CVE-2010-4279
10.0
CVE-2010-4232
10.0
CVE-2007-6234
10.0
CVE-2026-42822
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-12271 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
← All Vulnerabilities·Search for CVE-2018-12271·NVD