dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-23500

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.3 / 13.2 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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.2, iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3, iOS 15.7.3 and iPadOS 15.7.3, tvOS 16.3, watchOS 9.3. An app may be able to leak sensitive kernel state.

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 kernel memory leak vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems allows a local application to leak sensitive kernel state due to improper memory handling. The issue stems from memory not being properly initialized or zeroed before being returned to user space, potentially exposing kernel memory contents.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided OS updates: macOS Ventura 13.2, iOS/iPadOS 16.3, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.3, tvOS 16.3, or watchOS 9.3 depending on the affected device.

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:< 15.7.3>= 16.0, < 16.3
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.3>= 16.0, < 16.3
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 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. Identify your Apple device operating system
    Run 'sw_vers' on macOS, or go to Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS to see which OS is running
    Affected if Any of: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS
  2. Check the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or go to Apple menu > About This Mac > General
    Affected if Version is 13.0 or later but earlier than 13.2
  3. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the version number
    Affected if Version is 15.7.2 or earlier, OR version is 16.0 through 16.2
  4. Check the installed tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on Apple TV
    Affected if Version is earlier than 16.3
  5. Check the installed watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, or check on Apple Watch via Settings > General > About
    Affected if Version is earlier than 9.3

If the device runs macOS 13.0-13.1, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.2 or earlier, iOS/iPadOS 16.0-16.2, tvOS before 16.3, or watchOS before 9.3, the kernel memory leak vulnerability is present.

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 / 13.2 / 15.7.3 or later
Fixed in 9.313.215.7.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided OS updates: macOS Ventura 13.2, iOS/iPadOS 16.3, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.3, tvOS 16.3, or watchOS 9.3 depending on the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7.3/iOS 16.3, iPadOS 15.7.3/iPadOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, tvOS 16.3, watchOS 9.3 (depending on device type)

  1. Identify the Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch) that needs to be updated
  2. Check the current OS version on the device
  3. For iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 15.7.3 or iOS 16.3 (or iPadOS 15.7.3/16.3), depending on which major version the device supports
  4. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.2
  5. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and upgrade to tvOS 16.3
  6. For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and upgrade to watchOS 9.3
Caveat Upgrading to a newer OS version may introduce compatibility issues with older apps or require acceptance of new terms

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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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-2023-23500 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