dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2017-13907

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.11.6 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A state management issue was addressed with improved state validation. This issue is fixed in macOS High Sierra 10.13.1, Security Update 2017-001 Sierra, and Security Update 2017-004 El Capitan. The screen lock may unexpectedly remain unlocked.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A state management vulnerability in macOS allows the screen lock to remain unlocked unexpectedly due to improper state validation. When a user attempts to lock their screen, the lock state may not be properly enforced, potentially exposing the system to physical access attacks.

MitigationApply the appropriate Apple security updates (macOS High Sierra 10.13.1, Security Update 2017-001 for Sierra, or Security Update 2017-004 for El Capitan) to address the state validation issue in screen locking.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.11, < 10.11.6>= 10.12, <= 10.12.5= 10.11.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version is 10.11 through 10.11.5, or exactly 10.11.6, or 10.12 through 10.12.5 (versions below the fixed releases)
  2. Confirm screen lock configuration
    Open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General tab, or run: defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.screensaver askForPassword
    Affected if Screen lock password is not required, or the setting is disabled (the vulnerability only affects systems where screen lock is configured)
  3. Test screen lock enforcement
    Use the screen lock function (Apple menu > Lock Screen, or press Control+Command+Q, or use Fast User Switching), then observe if the screen actually locks or if access remains available
    Affected if After invoking lock, the system does not prompt for a password and remains accessible without authentication (indicating the state validation failure)
  4. Check for recent security updates
    Open System Preferences > Software Update, or run: defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist LastSuccessfulDate
    Affected if The system has not received the 2017 security updates (the fix was released in late 2017 as macOS High Sierra 10.13.1, Security Update 2017-001 for Sierra, or Security Update 2017-004 for El Capitan)

A system is affected if it runs macOS 10.11-10.11.6 or 10.12-10.12.5, has screen lock configured, and the lock does not properly enforce the locked state when invoked.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.11.6 or later
Fixed in 10.11.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate Apple security updates (macOS High Sierra 10.13.1, Security Update 2017-001 for Sierra, or Security Update 2017-004 for El Capitan) to address the state validation issue in screen locking.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 or later, or apply Security Update 2017-001 (Sierra) / Security Update 2017-004 (El Capitan)

  1. 1. Identify the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting 'About This Mac'
  2. 2. For macOS Sierra (10.12.x): Apply Security Update 2017-001 by going to System Preferences > App Store and checking for updates, or download from Apple Support
  3. 3. For OS X El Capitan (10.11.x): Apply Security Update 2017-004 via System Preferences > App Store > Updates, or download from Apple Support
  4. 4. Alternatively, upgrade to macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 or later for the complete fix
  5. 5. After applying the update, restart the computer to ensure the security fix takes effect
  6. 6. Verify the screen lock functionality works correctly by testing the lock screen shortcut (Control+Command+Q)
Caveat Upgrading to macOS High Sierra may introduce compatibility issues with older applications designed for earlier macOS versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-13907 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data