dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-27929

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4 / 13.3 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
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3, tvOS 16.4, iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Apple's image processing components allows disclosure of process memory when processing a maliciously crafted image. The issue was addressed with improved input validation in the affected operating systems.

MitigationApply the vendor patches: macOS Ventura 13.3 or later, tvOS 16.4 or later, iOS 16.4 or later, iPadOS 16.4 or later, and watchOS 9.4 or later.

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:< 16.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 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. Identify your Apple device type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch. This is needed because version thresholds differ by product line.
    Affected if Device is any of these Apple products and you process images on it
  2. Check installed iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > About. Note the Version number (e.g., 16.3.1).
    Affected if Version is lower than 16.4 (for iPhone or iPad)
  3. Check installed macOS version
    On Mac: Click Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the Version number (e.g., 13.2.1).
    Affected if Version is lower than 13.3 (for Mac)
  4. Check installed tvOS or watchOS version
    On Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone > General > About.
    Affected if Version is lower than 16.4 for Apple TV or lower than 9.4 for Apple Watch

You are affected if your device runs any Apple operating system version below the patched releases: iOS/iPadOS below 16.4, macOS below 13.3, tvOS below 16.4, or watchOS below 9.4.

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 / 13.3 / 16.4 or later
Fixed in 9.413.316.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patches: macOS Ventura 13.3 or later, tvOS 16.4 or later, iOS 16.4 or later, iPadOS 16.4 or later, and watchOS 9.4 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4

  1. Check current OS version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS), System Settings > General > About (macOS), Settings > General > About (tvOS), or the Watch app on iPhone (watchOS)
  2. Back up your device using iCloud or Finder/iTunes before updating
  3. For iOS/iPadOS: Open Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 16.4
  4. For macOS: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.3
  5. For tvOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install tvOS 16.4
  6. For watchOS: On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.4
  7. After updating, verify the new version is installed by checking the About section again

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-27929 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