dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-27969

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4 / 13.3 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. 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. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

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 use-after-free vulnerability in kernel memory management that allows a malicious local application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating system versions.

MitigationApply vendor patches by updating to macOS Ventura 13.3+, iOS/iPadOS 16.4+, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.4+, tvOS 16.4+, or watchOS 9.4+. For end-of-life devices, consider replacement with supported models.

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:< 15.7.4>= 16.0, < 16.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.4>= 16.0, < 16.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 13.0, < 13.3
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.4
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.4

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Identify the Apple operating system product
    Determine whether the system is running macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS. On macOS, run 'sw_vers' or check System Settings > About. On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About. On tvOS/watchOS, go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if The system runs any Apple OS (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS)
  2. Check the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or view the version in System Settings > About. Compare the version number to the affected range: >= 13.0 and < 13.3.
    Affected if macOS version is 13.0, 13.1, or 13.2
  3. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device, or connect to a computer and view the version in Finder/iTunes. Compare against the affected ranges: < 15.7.4, or >= 16.0 and < 16.4.
    Affected if iOS/iPadOS version is 15.7.3 or earlier, or 16.0 through 16.3
  4. Check the installed tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV. Compare against the affected range: < 16.4.
    Affected if tvOS version is 16.3 or earlier
  5. Check the installed watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, or check on the Apple Watch via Settings > General > About. Compare against the affected range: < 9.4.
    Affected if watchOS version is 9.3 or earlier

If the system runs macOS 13.0-13.2, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.3 or earlier or 16.0-16.3, tvOS 16.3 or earlier, or watchOS 9.3 or earlier, it is affected by this vulnerability.

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 9.4 / 13.3 / 15.7.4 or later
Fixed in 9.413.315.7.4
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches by updating to macOS Ventura 13.3+, iOS/iPadOS 16.4+, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.4+, tvOS 16.4+, or watchOS 9.4+. For end-of-life devices, consider replacement with supported models.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to macOS 13.3, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.4 or 16.4+, tvOS 16.4, or watchOS 9.4 as appropriate for your device

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 15.7.4 or iOS/iPadOS 16.4 or later
  2. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.3 or later
  3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and upgrade to tvOS 16.4 or later
  4. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to watchOS 9.4 or later
  5. After updating, verify the version in Settings > General > About for iPhone/iPad, System Settings > General > About for Mac, Settings > General > About for Apple TV, and Settings > General > About for Apple Watch
Caveat Standard Apple OS upgrades may have app compatibility considerations; review app compatibility before updating if running legacy software

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

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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-2023-27969 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