CVE-2023-27939
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 · uneditedAn out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3. Processing an 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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability in macOS image processing allows disclosure of process memory when processing a specially crafted image. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation during image parsing, enabling an attacker to read beyond allocated buffer boundaries.
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>= 13.0, < 13.3CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine macOS Ventura versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to System Settings > About to view the macOS versionAffected if The installed version is 13.0, 13.1, or 13.2 (any version >= 13.0 but < 13.3)
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Identify image processing usageReview which applications on the system routinely process image files, especially from untrusted sources such as email attachments, downloads, or web contentAffected if Any image processing application is used on a vulnerable macOS version (13.0-13.2)
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Assess image input sourcesDetermine whether the system handles images from external or untrusted sources, including email clients, web browsers, messaging apps, or file transfer toolsAffected if The system processes images from untrusted or external sources and runs a vulnerable macOS version
The system is affected if macOS Ventura is installed with a version number between 13.0 and 13.2 inclusive, as the out-of-bounds read flaw exists in the operating system's image processing components within that range.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped13.3
Apply macOS Ventura 13.3 or later. For third-party applications, implement robust input validation on image parsing routines to ensure bounds checking before memory access.
macOS Ventura 13.3
- Back up important data before performing any system update
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Navigate to General > Software Update
- Check for available updates - macOS Ventura 13.3 should appear
- Click 'Update Now' or 'Download' to download and install macOS Ventura 13.3
- Follow the on-screen instructions and allow the update to complete
- Restart the Mac if prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27939 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-27939 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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