dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-27937

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4 / 11.7.5 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
An integer overflow was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4. Parsing a maliciously crafted plist may lead to an 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 · high confidence

A vulnerability in Apple's plist parsing implementation allows an integer overflow when parsing maliciously crafted property list files. The overflow occurs during size calculation for memory allocation, potentially leading to heap corruption. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution within the context of the parsing application.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS as listed in the affected versions. For custom applications parsing plist files from untrusted sources, implement bounds checking on all integer values before using them in memory allocation calculations.

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:< 11.7.5>= 12.0, < 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
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 the operating system product
    Determine if the system is macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS. On macOS, run 'sw_vers' or check System Settings > About. On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About. On tvOS/watchOS, go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if Any Apple operating system listed in the affected versions is in use
  2. Get the exact OS version number
    On macOS, run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal. On iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS, note the version number shown in Settings > General > About (e.g., 13.2.1, 12.5.6).
    Affected if Version cannot be determined or is unknown
  3. Compare macOS version against affected ranges
    If running macOS, compare the installed version to: less than 11.7.5, OR 12.0 through 12.6.4, OR 13.0 through 13.3. These ranges indicate vulnerability.
    Affected if macOS version matches any of these ranges: < 11.7.5, >= 12.0 and < 12.6.4, >= 13.0 and < 13.3
  4. Compare iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS version against affected ranges
    If running iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS, compare the installed version to: less than 16.4 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS, or less than 9.4 for watchOS.
    Affected if iOS, iPadOS, or tvOS version is < 16.4, OR watchOS version is < 9.4
  5. Confirm plist parsing functionality is present
    This is a built-in system framework (CoreFoundation's plist parsing). Verify the device can parse property list files by attempting to read a plist file using 'plutil -p /path/to/file.plist' on macOS, or any app that loads plist files on iOS/tvOS/watchOS.
    Affected if Device supports plist file parsing (standard on all listed Apple platforms)

The system is affected if it runs any macOS version in the ranges < 11.7.5, 12.0-12.6.4, or 13.0-13.3; or any iOS/iPadOS/tvOS version < 16.4; or any watchOS version < 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 / 11.7.5 / 12.6.4 or later
Fixed in 9.411.7.512.6.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS as listed in the affected versions. For custom applications parsing plist files from untrusted sources, implement bounds checking on all integer values before using them in memory allocation calculations.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.4 / iPadOS 16.4 / macOS Big Sur 11.7.5 / macOS Monterey 12.6.4 / macOS Ventura 13.3 / tvOS 16.4 / watchOS 9.4

  1. Identify the Apple device and current OS version (Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS, System Preferences > General > Software Update on macOS, etc.)
  2. Back up the device using iCloud or Finder/iTunes before applying any OS updates
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4
  4. For macOS Big Sur (11.x): Install macOS Big Sur 11.7.5 via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. For macOS Monterey (12.x): Install macOS Monterey 12.6.4 via System Preferences > Software Update
  6. For macOS Ventura (13.x): Install macOS Ventura 13.3 via System Preferences > Software Update
  7. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.4
  8. For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.4
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply (ensure backup before updating); some older apps may be incompatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2023-27937 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