dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-28181

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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, iOS 15.7.6 and iPadOS 15.7.6, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, macOS Big Sur 11.7.7, 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

Memory handling vulnerability in Apple kernel allows a local application to escalate privileges to kernel level, enabling arbitrary code execution with the highest privileges. This is a local privilege escalation (LPE) vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating systems.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied security updates: macOS Ventura 13.3+, macOS Monterey 12.6.4+, macOS Big Sur 11.7.7+, iOS/iPadOS 16.4+, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.6+, tvOS 16.4+, watchOS 9.4+. Prioritize updates on systems running untrusted third-party applications.

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:< 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. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Software Version
    Affected if Version is below 13.3 (Ventura) or below 12.6.4 (Monterey) or below 11.7.7 (Big Sur)
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Open Settings > General > About > Version on the device
    Affected if Version is below 16.4, or below 15.7.6 if on iOS 15 branch
  3. Check tvOS version
    Open Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TV
    Affected if Version is below 16.4
  4. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About
    Affected if Version is below 9.4

If the installed OS version is lower than the fixed version for your platform (iOS/iPadOS 16.4+, macOS 13.3+, tvOS 16.4+, watchOS 9.4+), the kernel memory handling vulnerability is present and a locally running application could potentially escalate to kernel privileges.

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 / 16.4 or later
Fixed in 9.413.316.4
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied security updates: macOS Ventura 13.3+, macOS Monterey 12.6.4+, macOS Big Sur 11.7.7+, iOS/iPadOS 16.4+, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.6+, tvOS 16.4+, watchOS 9.4+. Prioritize updates on systems running untrusted third-party applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.4/iPadOS 16.4 or iOS 15.7.6/iPadOS 15.7.6; macOS Ventura 13.3, Monterey 12.6.4, or Big Sur 11.7.7; tvOS 16.4; watchOS 9.4

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Check the current operating system version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Preferences > About (macOS)
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS 16.4/iPadOS 16.4, or iOS 15.7.6/iPadOS 15.7.6 if remaining on iOS 15
  4. For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.3, macOS Monterey 12.6.4, or macOS Big Sur 11.7.7 depending on hardware support
  5. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 16.4
  6. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 9.4
  7. Restart the device after completing the update
  8. Verify the update was successful by checking the OS version again
Caveat Major OS upgrades (e.g., iOS 15 to 16) may introduce app compatibility changes; review app updates before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2023-28181 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