dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-27942

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4 / 12.6.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The issue was addressed with improved checks. 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. An app may be able to access user-sensitive data.

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

This is an access control vulnerability in Apple's operating systems where an application could improperly access user-sensitive data due to insufficient authorization checks. The issue was addressed with improved validation checks in the affected OS components.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied OS updates (iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4) to patch 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:< 16.4
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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the version number (e.g., 16.3.1)
    Affected if Version is less than 16.4 (e.g., 16.3.x, 16.2.x, etc.)
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the version number
    Affected if Version is less than 16.4
  3. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (e.g., 13.2.1)
    Affected if Version is 12.6.3 or lower, OR version is 13.0 through 13.2.x (anything less than 13.3)
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the version number
    Affected if Version is less than 16.4
  5. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open Settings app on Apple Watch > General > About > Version, or check via Watch app on iPhone
    Affected if Version is less than 9.4

You are affected if any of your Apple devices run an OS version below the minimum patched version (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS below 16.4/9.4, or macOS below 12.6.4 or between 13.0-13.2.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 vendor-supplied OS updates (iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4) to patch the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5, tvOS 16.4, or watchOS 9.4 (depending on device type and current OS)

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Check the current OS version on the device via Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Preferences > About (macOS)
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Update to iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4 via Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For Mac: Update to macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, or macOS Big Sur 11.7.5 depending on current macOS version via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. For Apple TV: Update to tvOS 16.4 via Settings > System > Software Updates
  6. For Apple Watch: Update to watchOS 9.4 via the Watch app on iPhone > General > Software Update
  7. After updating, verify the OS version matches or exceeds the fixed version for your device
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - ensure backups exist before updating; some older apps may become 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2023-27942 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