dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-23535

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4 / 11.7.5 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 13.3, iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5, iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4, macOS Monterey 12.6.6, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4. Processing a maliciously crafted image may result in disclosure of process memory.

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

Memory disclosure vulnerability in Apple's image processing components across macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Processing a maliciously crafted image leads to unintended exposure of process memory contents due to improper memory handling during image parsing.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied security updates (iOS 16.4/15.7.4, iPadOS 16.4/15.7.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5, macOS Monterey 12.6.6, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4) to all affected devices to address the memory handling flaw.

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:< 15.7.4>= 16.0, < 16.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.4>= 16.0, < 16.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 11.7.5>= 13.0, < 13.3
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.4
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.4

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
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 iOS version on iPhone
    Open Settings > General > About and note the version number under Software Version
    Affected if Version is below 15.7.4, or between 16.0 and 16.3 (inclusive)
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Open Settings > General > About and note the version number under Software Version
    Affected if Version is below 15.7.4, or between 16.0 and 16.3 (inclusive)
  3. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac (or System Settings > About on Ventura) and note the version number
    Affected if Version is below 11.7.5, or between 13.0 and 13.2 (inclusive)
  4. Check tvOS version
    Open Settings > General > About and note the version number
    Affected if Version is below 16.4
  5. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About and note the version number
    Affected if Version is below 9.4

The device is affected if its operating system version falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges listed for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS.

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 9.4 / 11.7.5 / 13.3 or later
Fixed in 9.411.7.513.3
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied security updates (iOS 16.4/15.7.4, iPadOS 16.4/15.7.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5, macOS Monterey 12.6.6, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4) to all affected devices to address the memory handling flaw.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7.4 or iOS 16.4+ | iPadOS 15.7.4 or iPadOS 16.4+ | macOS 11.7.5, 12.6.6, or 13.3+ | tvOS 16.4+ | watchOS 9.4+

  1. Identify the current installed version of the affected Apple operating system (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS)
  2. Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS, or System Preferences > Software Update on macOS
  3. Alternatively, connect device to a computer with Finder (iOS/iPadOS) or Finder/Apple Configurator (macOS)
  4. Download and install the appropriate fixed version: iOS 15.7.4 or 16.4+, iPadOS 15.7.4 or 16.4+, macOS 11.7.5, 12.6.6, or 13.3+, tvOS 16.4+, or watchOS 9.4+
  5. Restart the device after the update completes
  6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed versions listed in the security advisory
Caveat Older hardware may not support the latest OS versions; ensure device is compatible before upgrading

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

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-23535 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-23535 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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