CVE-2023-27970
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 write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. 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 confidenceThis is a kernel-level out-of-bounds write vulnerability in iOS/iPadOS that allows a malicious application to escape application sandboxing and execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, achieving full device compromise.
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< 16.4< 16.4CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the iOS versionOpen the Settings app on the device, tap General, then tap About. Note the version number displayed next to "Version" (for example, 16.3.1 or 15.7.5).Affected if The version shown is less than 16.4 (for example, 16.3.x, 16.2.x, 15.x, or earlier).
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Confirm the iPadOS version if using an iPadIf the device is an iPad, follow the same path: Settings > General > About to view the iPadOS version number.Affected if The iPadOS version shown is less than 16.4.
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Check if the device is on a supported iOS release trainOn the same About screen, note the "Build Number" shown below the version. Compare it against known build numbers for iOS 16.4 (20B5025c is the initial release).Affected if The Build Number is earlier than the iOS 16.4 build for your specific device model.
The device is affected if it runs any version of iOS or iPadOS earlier than 16.4, as the kernel-level vulnerability exists in all earlier versions regardless of device configuration.
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 · scoped16.4
Apply iOS 16.4 or later (or iPadOS 16.4) via software update. For enterprise environments, deploy via MDM to ensure all managed devices receive the patch.
iOS 16.4 / iPadOS 16.4
- Check the current iOS or iPadOS version on the device by going to Settings > General > About
- Back up the device data using iCloud or iTunes/Finder as a precaution before performing the upgrade
- Update the device to iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4 or later by going to Settings > General > Software Update
- Alternatively, connect the device to a computer with iTunes (Windows or older macOS) or Finder (macOS Catalina or later) and check for updates
- After the update completes, verify the device is running iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4 or higher via Settings > General > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27970 — 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-2023-27970 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