dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-23513

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7.3 / 12.6.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.3. Mounting a maliciously crafted Samba network share may lead to arbitrary code execution.

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 · high confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability in macOS allows arbitrary code execution when mounting a maliciously crafted Samba network share. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling during the network share mounting process in the SMB/CIFS implementation.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update (Big Sur 11.7.3, Monterey 12.6.3, or Ventura 13.2) to patch the buffer overflow. Avoid mounting untrusted or unknown Samba shares until systems are updated.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 11.7.3>= 12.0, < 12.6.3>= 13.0, < 13.2

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Identify installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or check System Settings > About > Version
    Affected if The version is < 11.7.3, OR >= 12.0 and < 12.6.3, OR >= 13.0 and < 13.2
  2. Check if SMB/CIFS sharing is enabled
    Run 'launchctl list | grep smb' to see if SMB services are running, or check System Settings > General > Sharing > File Sharing is enabled
    Affected if SMB file sharing is turned on and the macOS version is in the affected range
  3. Inspect active or recent SMB mounts
    Run 'smbutil status' or check 'ls -la /Volumes' for mounted network shares, and review output of 'mount' command for SMB/CIFS entries
    Affected if The system has mounted or currently has Samba/SMB shares connected, especially from untrusted sources
  4. Review SMB configuration for guest or anonymous access
    Check /etc/smb.conf or examine SMB sharing preferences in System Settings for guest access settings
    Affected if SMB sharing allows guest or anonymous connections and the macOS version is vulnerable

A user is affected if their macOS version falls within the affected ranges AND the SMB/CIFS functionality is used (either as a client mounting shares or a server sharing files).

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 11.7.3 / 12.6.3 / 13.2 or later
Fixed in 11.7.312.6.313.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Big Sur 11.7.3, Monterey 12.6.3, or Ventura 13.2) to patch the buffer overflow. Avoid mounting untrusted or unknown Samba shares until systems are updated.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Big Sur 11.7.3 / macOS Monterey 12.6.3 / macOS Ventura 13.2 (or later)

  1. 1. Determine the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac.
  2. 2. Based on the current version, determine the target upgrade path: For macOS Big Sur (11.x), upgrade to 11.7.3 or later. For macOS Monterey (12.x), upgrade to 12.6.3 or later. For macOS Ventura (13.0-13.1), upgrade to 13.2 or later.
  3. 3. Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup solution before performing the upgrade.
  4. 4. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions) and navigate to Software Update.
  5. 5. Click Check for Updates and install any available updates to reach the fixed version.
  6. 6. After installation, verify the fix by reviewing the Apple security advisory for CVE-2023-23513.
Caveat Standard OS upgrade risks apply - ensure full backup before proceeding; some legacy applications may not be compatible with newer macOS versions

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2023-23513 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