CVE-2023-27956
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 · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4. Processing a maliciously crafted 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 confidenceA memory disclosure vulnerability in Apple's image processing subsystem where processing a maliciously crafted image leads to unintended exposure of process memory contents due to improper memory handling during image parsing.
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< 15.7.4>= 16.0, < 16.4< 15.7.4>= 16.0, < 16.4>= 13.0, < 13.3< 16.4< 9.4CVSS 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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Check iOS or iPadOS versionOn the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Version'Affected if The version is earlier than 15.7.4, or is 16.0 through 16.3 (inclusive)
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Check macOS versionOn the Mac, open System Settings > General > About and note the version number under 'macOS', or run 'sw_vers' in TerminalAffected if The version is 13.0, 13.1, or 13.2 (any 13.x version before 13.3)
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Check tvOS versionOn the Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version numberAffected if The version is earlier than 16.4
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Check watchOS versionOn the paired iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > About and note the version number, or check directly on the Apple Watch in Settings > AboutAffected if The version is earlier than 9.4
Your device is affected if its operating system version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS before 15.7.4 or 16.0-16.3, macOS 13.0-13.2, tvOS before 16.4, or watchOS before 9.4.
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 · scoped9.413.315.7.4
Apply the vendor-supplied updates: macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS/iPadOS 16.4 or 15.7.4, tvOS 16.4, or watchOS 9.4 depending on the affected device.
macOS Ventura 13.3; iOS 16.4/iPadOS 16.4; iOS 15.7.4/iPadOS 15.7.4; tvOS 16.4; watchOS 9.4
- Check current device OS version in Settings (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings/System Preferences (macOS/tvOS/watchOS)
- Back up important data before performing the update
- For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.4/iPadOS 16.4 or iOS 15.7.4/iPadOS 15.7.4
- For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.3
- For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.4
- For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.4
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27956 — 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-2023-27956 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