How severe is CVE-2018-12271?

CVE-2018-12271 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-12271 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (35th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-12271?

CVE-2018-12271 affects Dropbox. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-12271?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-12271 published?

CVE-2018-12271 was published on 2018-06-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-12271

CVE-2018-12271 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Dropbox with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-287.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.4)
CVSS v2: 6.9
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (35th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Dropbox
Published: 2018-06-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

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

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-12271?: 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
How severe is CVE-2018-12271?: CVE-2018-12271 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-12271 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (35th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-12271?: CVE-2018-12271 affects Dropbox. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-12271?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-12271 published?: CVE-2018-12271 was published on 2018-06-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:dropbox:dropbox:100.2:*:*:*:*:iphone_os:*:*

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Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2026-42822 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Local Disconnected Operations allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges…
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