dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-27930

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.5 / 13.4 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A type confusion issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5, watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

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 type confusion vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS) allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, potentially giving the attacker full control of the affected device.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates (iOS 16.5+, iPadOS 16.5+, watchOS 9.5+, tvOS 16.5+, macOS Ventura 13.4+) to all affected devices to remediate the vulnerability.

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:< 16.5
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.5
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 13.0, < 13.4
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.5
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.5

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 your Apple operating system product
    Determine which Apple OS is running on the device: iOS (iPhone), iPadOS (iPad), macOS (Mac computer), watchOS (Apple Watch), or tvOS (Apple TV)
    Affected if The device runs any of these Apple operating systems
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone/iPad
    Open Settings > General > About and locate the 'Version' field
    Affected if Version is earlier than 16.5 (for example, 16.4.1, 16.4, 16.3)
  3. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac and locate the 'macOS' version number
    Affected if Version is 13.0, 13.1, 13.2, or 13.3 (any version from 13.0 up to but not including 13.4)
  4. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on iPhone > My Watch tab > General > About, or on Apple Watch go to Settings > General > About
    Affected if Version is earlier than 9.5 (for example, 9.4, 9.3)
  5. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Open Settings > General > About and locate the 'Version' field
    Affected if Version is earlier than 16.5 (for example, 16.4, 16.3)

You are affected if your device runs any of these Apple OS products and the installed version falls within the vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS below 16.5/9.5, or macOS between 13.0 and 13.3 inclusive.

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 9.5 / 13.4 / 16.5 or later
Fixed in 9.513.416.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates (iOS 16.5+, iPadOS 16.5+, watchOS 9.5+, tvOS 16.5+, macOS Ventura 13.4+) to all affected devices to remediate the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.5/iPadOS 16.5, watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4 (depending on device)

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV)
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 16.5 or later
  3. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.4 or later
  4. For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > Software Update, and install watchOS 9.5 or later
  5. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install tvOS 16.5 or later
  6. Restart the device after the update completes
  7. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release
Caveat Some older apps may be incompatible with the new OS version; verify critical apps support the target version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2023-27930 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