dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-23519

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.3 / 13.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.3, tvOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3. Processing an image may lead to 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 · high confidence

A memory corruption vulnerability in Apple's image processing subsystem, stemming from improper state management during image parsing. Processing a maliciously crafted image triggers memory corruption that can cause a denial-of-service condition. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple operating systems.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates (watchOS 9.3, tvOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3) to all affected devices. For managed environments, deploy updates via MDM or software distribution tools.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number. Alternatively, connect to a Mac and view device info in Finder or Xcode, or use an MDM tool to query the device inventory.
    Affected if The device runs iOS or iPadOS version 16.2 or earlier (any version below 16.3).
  2. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number is displayed under the macOS name. Alternatively, run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or query via MDM/endpoint management software.
    Affected if The Mac runs macOS Ventura 13.1 or earlier (any version below 13.2).
  3. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV. For managed devices, query via MDM or the tvOS management framework.
    Affected if The Apple TV runs tvOS 16.2 or earlier (any version below 16.3).
  4. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, or check directly on the watch via Settings > General > About. MDM tools can also report the version.
    Affected if The Apple Watch runs watchOS 9.2 or earlier (any version below 9.3).
  5. Confirm image processing exposure
    Verify that the device has the ability to process image files (this is default functionality in all listed operating systems). No special configuration is needed; the vulnerability triggers when the system parses a maliciously crafted image through any standard image viewing or processing pathway.
    Affected if The device can process image files and runs an affected OS version.

A device is affected if it runs any iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS version below the fixed releases (16.3, 13.2, 16.3, 9.3 respectively) and has image processing capabilities enabled (default state).

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 / 16.3 or later
Fixed in 9.313.216.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates (watchOS 9.3, tvOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3) to all affected devices. For managed environments, deploy updates via MDM or software distribution tools.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, watchOS 9.3, tvOS 16.3

  1. For iOS/iPadOS: Open Settings app, go to General > Software Update, download and install iOS 16.3 or iPadOS 16.3
  2. For macOS: Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS), go to Software Update, download and install macOS Ventura 13.2
  3. For watchOS: Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General > Software Update, download and install watchOS 9.3
  4. For tvOS: Open Settings, go to System > Software Updates, download and install tvOS 16.3
  5. After updating, verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release for your device

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
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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-2023-23519 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