dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-27933

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4 / 12.6.4 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
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 Monterey 12.6.4, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4. An app with root privileges 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

Memory handling vulnerability in Apple operating systems (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS) that allows a malicious application running with root privileges to escalate to kernel-level code execution. This is a local privilege escalation from root to kernel via improper memory handling.

MitigationApply the relevant security updates: macOS Ventura 13.3/macOS Monterey 12.6.4, iOS 16.4/iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, or watchOS 9.4 depending on the affected device.

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:< 12.6.4>= 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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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. Check the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal on macOS, or check System Settings > About
    Affected if The version is below 12.6.4 or is 13.0 through 13.2.x (any version below 13.3)
  2. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iOS/iPadOS device
    Affected if The version is below 16.4
  3. Check the installed tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TV
    Affected if The version is below 16.4
  4. Check the installed watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About
    Affected if The version is below 9.4

The device is affected if the installed OS version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS below 16.4/9.4, or macOS below 12.6.4 or between 13.0 and 13.2.x.

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 / 12.6.4 / 13.3 or later
Fixed in 9.412.6.413.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant security updates: macOS Ventura 13.3/macOS Monterey 12.6.4, iOS 16.4/iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, or watchOS 9.4 depending on the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.4 / iPadOS 16.4 / macOS Ventura 13.3 / macOS Monterey 12.6.4 / tvOS 16.4 / watchOS 9.4

  1. Identify the affected device type (iPhone/iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Ensure the device is connected to power and WiFi before starting the update
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 16.4 or later
  4. For Mac: Go to Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update and install the appropriate macOS version (Monterey 12.6.4+ or Ventura 13.3+)
  5. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software and install tvOS 16.4 or later
  6. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone paired with the watch, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update, and install watchOS 9.4 or later
  7. After update completion, verify the new version is installed by checking Settings > General > About (or About This Mac)
Caveat Standard Apple security updates typically have minimal breaking changes; review Apple release notes for any application compatibility concerns

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-2023-27933 — 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-2023-27933 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