CVE-2023-27966
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 checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.
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 confidenceA sandbox escape vulnerability in macOS allowed a malicious or compromised application to break out of its sandbox isolation and potentially execute arbitrary code or access unauthorized resources. Apple addressed this with improved checks, and the issue was 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/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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Determine installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to get the exact macOS version numberAffected if The version is 13.0, 13.1, or 13.2.x (any version from 13.0 up to but not including 13.3)
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Confirm macOS Ventura releaseRun 'sw_vers -productName' to confirm the system is running macOS Ventura rather than an older macOS releaseAffected if The product name shows 'macOS Ventura' and the version from step 1 is in the 13.0-13.2.x range
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Check if any sandboxed applications are in useReview running processes that operate within sandboxed containers - check Activity Monitor or run 'ps aux | grep -i sandbox' to identify sandboxed appsAffected if Sandboxed applications are running on an affected macOS version (13.0-13.2.x), creating potential attack surface for this vulnerability
A system is affected if it runs macOS Ventura versions 13.0 through 13.2.x, where a malicious or compromised sandboxed application could potentially escape isolation.
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
Update affected macOS systems to Ventura 13.3 or later to apply the sandbox escape fix.
macOS Ventura 13.3
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine before proceeding with any system updates
- Ensure your Mac is connected to power and a stable WiFi network
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Click on "General" in the sidebar, then select "Software Update"
- Wait for macOS Ventura 13.3 to appear as an available update
- Click "Update Now" or "Upgrade Now" to begin the download and installation
- Follow the on-screen instructions and enter your password when prompted
- Allow the Mac to restart automatically to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27966 — 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-2023-27966 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