CVE-2023-27950
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 confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in macOS where processing a specially crafted image leads to disclosure of process memory. The vulnerability was addressed through improved input validation and is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3.
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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Identify the macOS versionRun `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal or check System Settings > AboutAffected if The version is 13.0, 13.1, 13.2, or any 13.x version prior to 13.3
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Confirm the major version is VenturaVerify the product version starts with 13Affected if The major version is 13 and the minor version is less than 3
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Verify the specific patch levelRun `sw_vers -buildVersion` and compare against known fixed builds, or check System Settings > About for the exact version number (e.g., 13.2.1)Affected if The version is 13.0, 13.1, 13.2, or 13.2.1 but not 13.3 or later
The system is affected if it is running any version of macOS Ventura from 13.0 through 13.2.x, since the vulnerability was fixed in macOS 13.3.
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 security update. If this affects a custom application, implement proper input validation on image parsing routines to ensure buffer bounds are respected.
macOS Ventura 13.3 or later
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before performing the update
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Navigate to General > Software Update
- Ensure macOS Ventura 13.3 or later is selected and click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now'
- Allow the update to complete and restart the Mac when prompted
- After restarting, verify the update was successful by checking System Settings > General > About for the macOS version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 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 $1,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27950 — 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-2023-27950 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