dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-28213

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 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 buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel 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 · moderate confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability in macOS kernel memory handling allows a malicious application to potentially write to kernel memory or cause system termination. The issue was addressed in macOS Ventura 13.3 through improved bounds checking and memory management in the affected kernel subsystem.

MitigationApply macOS Ventura 13.3 or later security update. For systems that cannot update, restrict application execution permissions and monitor for suspicious apps that could trigger the overflow.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 13.0, < 13.3

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 -productVersion' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This Mac
    Affected if The version displayed is 13.0, 13.1, or 13.2 (versions 13.0 through <13.3 are affected)
  2. Confirm kernel subsystem is active
    Verify the system boots normally and kernel is loaded by checking 'uname -a' output shows Darwin kernel
    Affected if The system is running a standard macOS kernel (this is the baseline condition required for the vulnerability to exist)
  3. Verify application execution is permitted
    Check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Security settings, or run 'spctl --status' to check Gatekeeper status
    Affected if Gatekeeper is disabled or set to allow apps from 'Anywhere', allowing unsigned or unidentified developer applications to run (which is required to trigger the flaw)
  4. Check for suspicious kernel extensions
    Run 'kextstat | grep -v com.apple' to list third-party kernel extensions
    Affected if Unknown or suspicious third-party kernel extensions are loaded (could indicate compromise or provide attack vector)

A system is affected if it runs macOS version 13.0, 13.1, or 13.2 and permits execution of applications, since the vulnerability is triggered by a malicious application exploiting kernel memory handling.

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 13.3 or later
Fixed in 13.3
Interim mitigation

Apply macOS Ventura 13.3 or later security update. For systems that cannot update, restrict application execution permissions and monitor for suspicious apps that could trigger the overflow.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Ventura 13.3

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before updating
  2. Ensure your Mac is connected to power during the update process
  3. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
  4. Navigate to General > Software Update
  5. Check for available updates - macOS Ventura 13.3 should appear
  6. Click 'Update Now' or 'Download and Install' for macOS Ventura 13.3
  7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation
  8. Restart your Mac when prompted to apply the security update
Caveat Standard macOS point release update - requires restart; review macOS 13.3 release notes for any app compatibility changes

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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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-2023-28213 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