dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-27935

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7.5 / 12.6.4 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 bounds checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5. A remote user may be able to cause unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution.

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 · moderate confidence

A memory corruption vulnerability in macOS stemming from insufficient bounds checking. A remote attacker can trigger this to cause unexpected application termination or achieve arbitrary code execution. The issue is addressed with improved bounds checks in the specified macOS versions.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update (Ventura 13.3, Monterey 12.6.4, or Big Sur 11.7.5) to address the bounds checking vulnerability and prevent remote code execution.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 11.7.5>= 12.0, < 12.6.4>= 13.0, < 13.3

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Retrieve the installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The command returns a version number lower than the fixed releases
  2. Identify the macOS release name
    Based on the version number: 11.x is Big Sur, 12.x is Monterey, 13.x is Ventura
    Affected if The release corresponds to an affected version range
  3. Compare against affected version ranges
    Check if the installed version falls into any of these ranges: < 11.7.5, >= 12.0 and < 12.6.4, >= 13.0 and < 13.3
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these ranges indicates the system is affected
  4. Verify the security update status
    Check System Settings > General > Software Update for available updates, or run: defaults read /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion ProductVersionExtra
    Affected if The system shows an unpatched version in the affected ranges

A system is affected if it runs macOS Big Sur below 11.7.5, Monterey between 12.0 and 12.6.3, or Ventura between 13.0 and 13.2.

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 11.7.5 / 12.6.4 / 13.3 or later
Fixed in 11.7.512.6.413.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Ventura 13.3, Monterey 12.6.4, or Big Sur 11.7.5) to address the bounds checking vulnerability and prevent remote code execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Ventura 13.3 or later; macOS Monterey 12.6.4 or later; macOS Big Sur 11.7.5 or later

  1. Open System Preferences (macOS Monterey and earlier) or System Settings (macOS Ventura and later)
  2. Click on 'Software Update' or 'General' > 'Software Update'
  3. Click 'Check for Update' or allow automatic checks to complete
  4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to download and install the security update
  5. Restart the Mac when prompted to complete the installation
  6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds: macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, or macOS Big Sur 11.7.5
Caveat Standard macOS upgrade risks apply - backup important data before upgrading; some legacy applications may not be compatible with newer macOS versions

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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-2023-27935 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