dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-23494

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.4 or later.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 buffer overflow was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. A user in a privileged network position may be able to cause a denial-of-service.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in iOS 16.4 and earlier that allows a user in a privileged network position (e.g., man-in-the-middle) to cause a denial-of-service via malicious network traffic. The fix implements improved bounds checking.

MitigationUpgrade affected devices to iOS 16.4 or later to apply the vendor patch containing improved bounds checking.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 16.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.4

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
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 iOS device version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About to view the iOS version number
    Affected if iOS version is earlier than 16.4 (e.g., 16.3.x, 16.2.x, etc.)
  2. Identify product type
    Confirm whether the device is an iPhone or iPad to determine if iPhone OS or iPadOS is installed
    Affected if Device runs iPhone OS or iPadOS versions prior to 16.4
  3. Verify network exposure
    Determine if the device connects to untrusted networks where a privileged network position (e.g., man-in-the-middle) is plausible
    Affected if Device uses vulnerable iOS version AND communicates over networks where interception is possible

The environment is affected if the device runs iOS or iPadOS versions earlier than 16.4.

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 16.4 or later
Fixed in 16.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade affected devices to iOS 16.4 or later to apply the vendor patch containing improved bounds checking.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.4 / iPadOS 16.4

  1. Back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud or your computer before updating
  2. Ensure your device is connected to power and Wi-Fi
  3. On your device, go to Settings > General > Software Update
  4. Download and install the iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4 update
  5. Restart your device if prompted to complete the installation
Caveat Standard iOS upgrade considerations apply - some older apps may become incompatible, ensure backups are current before proceeding

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,020
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,232.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2023-23494 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