CVE-2023-27948
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 · moderate confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in macOS Ventura's image processing components. When processing specially crafted images, the application reads memory beyond allocated buffers, potentially exposing sensitive process memory contents to an attacker. The vulnerability was patched in macOS Ventura 13.3 through improved input validation.
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.
-
Identify the operating systemRun 'sw_vers' or check System Settings > About to confirm the system is macOSAffected if System is not macOS (this vulnerability affects only macOS)
-
Check the macOS version numberRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or view the version in System Settings > About > macOS VenturaAffected if The displayed version is 13.0, 13.1, or 13.2
-
Verify the exact minor versionRun 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' to get detailed version information including build numberAffected if The version is any build of 13.0.x, 13.1.x, or 13.2.x
-
Confirm the vulnerability windowCompare your installed version against the affected range: versions 13.0 through 13.2 (inclusive) are vulnerable; version 13.3 and later are patchedAffected if Your macOS version falls within >= 13.0 and < 13.3
If the system runs macOS Ventura with a version between 13.0 and 13.2 inclusive, the environment is vulnerable to this out-of-bounds read flaw in image processing.
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 the macOS Ventura 13.3 security update or upgrade to a later patched version to address this vulnerability.
macOS Ventura 13.3
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or an alternative backup solution before updating
- Connect your Mac to a reliable power source and stable internet connection
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Navigate to General > Software Update
- Wait for macOS Ventura 13.3 to appear in the available updates
- Click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to download and install the update
- Follow the on-screen instructions and allow the update to complete
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27948 — 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-2023-27948 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
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.
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