dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-27955

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7.5 / 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 Monterey 12.6.4, tvOS 16.4, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5. An app may be able to read arbitrary files.

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

A vulnerability in Apple's platforms allowed a malicious or compromised application to bypass sandbox restrictions and read arbitrary files on the filesystem. The issue stemmed from insufficient access control checks in a system component, which was addressed with improved validation logic.

MitigationApply the relevant security update for the affected Apple operating system version (macOS Ventura 13.3+, iOS/iPadOS 16.4+, macOS Monterey 12.6.4+, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5+, tvOS 16.4+) to patch the file access validation flaw.

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:>= 11.0, < 11.7.5>= 12.0, < 12.6.4>= 13.0, < 13.3

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/iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS, or run 'sw_vers' on macOS, to determine the installed OS version
    Affected if The version is iOS < 16.4, iPadOS < 16.4, macOS 11.0 to < 11.7.5, 12.0 to < 12.6.4, or 13.0 to < 13.3
  2. Identify untrusted third-party applications
    Review installed applications from unknown or unverified developers, particularly those requesting broad file access permissions
    Affected if Untrusted or compromised applications with file access capabilities are installed on the device
  3. Audit application sandbox behavior
    Monitor which applications have accessed files outside their designated sandbox containers, using system logs or endpoint detection tools if available
    Affected if Any application has accessed files outside its expected sandbox boundaries
  4. Review system component access controls
    Examine system logs for attempts to access protected filesystem locations from third-party applications
    Affected if Evidence exists of applications successfully accessing protected system directories or user files outside their sandbox

Your environment is affected if the device runs an unpatched iOS/iPadOS version below 16.4 or macOS versions 11.7.4 and earlier, 12.6.3 and earlier, or 13.2 and earlier, and untrusted or malicious applications have been installed that could exploit this sandbox bypass to read arbitrary files.

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 11.7.5 / 12.6.4 / 13.3 or later
Fixed in 11.7.512.6.413.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant security update for the affected Apple operating system version (macOS Ventura 13.3+, iOS/iPadOS 16.4+, macOS Monterey 12.6.4+, macOS Big Sur 11.7.5+, tvOS 16.4+) to patch the file access validation flaw.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Big Sur 11.7.5 / macOS Monterey 12.6.4 / macOS Ventura 13.3 / iOS 16.4 / iPadOS 16.4 (depending on current version)

  1. Back up important data before initiating the OS upgrade
  2. Determine the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  3. For macOS Big Sur 11.0-11.7.4 users: Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.7.5
  4. For macOS Monterey 12.0-12.6.3 users: Upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.6.4
  5. For macOS Ventura 13.0-13.2 users: Upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.3
  6. For iOS/iPadOS devices: Upgrade to iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4
  7. After upgrade, verify the system is running the patched version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > General > About (macOS)
Caveat Standard OS upgrade considerations apply - verify critical applications are compatible with the target OS version before upgrading

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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-27955 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