dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-23499

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.3 / 11.7.3 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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
This issue was addressed by enabling hardened runtime. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.6.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, watchOS 9.3, macOS Big Sur 11.7.3, tvOS 16.3, iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3. An app may be able to access user-sensitive data.

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

This Apple operating system vulnerability allowed a malicious or compromised application to access user-sensitive data. The issue was remediated by enabling Apple's 'hardened runtime' security feature, which provides additional runtime protections against code injection, memory corruption, and privilege escalation attacks.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to the fixed OS versions (macOS Monterey 12.6.3+, Ventura 13.2+, Big Sur 11.7.3+, watchOS 9.3+, tvOS 16.3+, iOS/iPadOS 16.3+). For developers, ensure hardened runtime is enabled when building and signing applications.

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:< 16.3
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.3
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.7.3>= 12.0.0, < 12.6.3>= 13.0, < 13.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.3
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.3

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

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

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 macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal
    Affected if Version is 11.0 to 11.7.2, 12.0.0 to 12.6.2, or 13.0 to 13.1 (versions below 11.7.3, 12.6.3, or 13.2)
  2. Check iOS/iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device
    Affected if Version is below 16.3
  3. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on Apple TV
    Affected if Version is below 16.3
  4. Check watchOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on Apple Watch
    Affected if Version is below 9.3
  5. Verify hardened runtime in a macOS application binary
    Run 'codesign -dv --verbose=4 /path/to/Application.app' and check the output for 'runtime' designation under CodeRequirements
    Affected if The output shows 'runtime' is NOT present or the application was signed without the runtime entitlement

Your environment is affected if the OS version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges AND the application in question was built/signed without hardened runtime enabled.

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 9.3 / 11.7.3 / 12.6.3 or later
Fixed in 9.311.7.312.6.3
Interim mitigation

Update affected devices to the fixed OS versions (macOS Monterey 12.6.3+, Ventura 13.2+, Big Sur 11.7.3+, watchOS 9.3+, tvOS 16.3+, iOS/iPadOS 16.3+). For developers, ensure hardened runtime is enabled when building and signing applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, macOS 11.7.3/12.6.3/13.2, tvOS 16.3, watchOS 9.3 (depending on device)

  1. Identify the current version of the affected Apple operating system (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS) on the device
  2. Back up important data using iCloud or local backup before performing the update
  3. Connect device to power and Wi-Fi
  4. For iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install version 16.3 or later
  5. For macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the appropriate fixed version (11.7.3, 12.6.3, or 13.2 depending on your current major version)
  6. For tvOS: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.3 or later
  7. For watchOS: On iPhone, open Watch app > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.3 or later
  8. Verify the update was successful by checking the version number in Settings
Caveat Point releases typically have minimal breaking changes; however, some apps or configurations may need updating after major version upgrades

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-23499 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