CVE-2023-32369
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 · uneditedA logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.7.7, macOS Monterey 12.6.6, macOS Ventura 13.4. An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.
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 logic flaw in macOS state management allowed a malicious or compromised application to bypass file system protection mechanisms, enabling modification of protected system directories that should normally require elevated privileges.
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>= 11.0, < 11.7.7>= 12.0, < 12.6.6>= 13.0, < 13.4CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/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 versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version displayed falls within < 11.7.7, >= 11.7.7 to < 12.6.6, or >= 12.6.6 to < 13.4 (i.e., any version from 11.0 up to but not including 13.4)
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Confirm macOS release nameRun: sw_vers -productVersionExtra or check System Settings > About to identify if the system is Big Sur (11.x), Monterey (12.x), or Ventura (13.x)Affected if The system is running Big Sur 11.0-11.7.6, Monterey 12.0-12.6.5, or Ventura 13.0-13.3.x
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Verify System Integrity Protection statusRun: csrutil status (note: this does not mitigate the vulnerability but provides context on system protection state)Affected if Not applicable to detection - SIP status does not affect whether this vulnerability is present; the flaw exists in the OS logic regardless of SIP
The system is affected if it is running any macOS version from 11.0 through 13.3.x, specifically versions < 11.7.7, >= 12.0 to < 12.6.6, or >= 13.0 to < 13.4.
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 · scoped11.7.712.6.613.4
Apply the corresponding Apple security updates (macOS Big Sur 11.7.7, Monterey 12.6.6, or Ventura 13.4) to all affected systems to remediate the vulnerability.
macOS Big Sur 11.7.7, macOS Monterey 12.6.6, or macOS Ventura 13.4 (depending on your current major version)
- Check current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
- Back up important data before proceeding with the update
- For macOS Big Sur (11.x) users: Update to macOS Big Sur 11.7.7 via System Preferences > Software Update
- For macOS Monterey (12.x) users: Update to macOS Monterey 12.6.6 via System Preferences > Software Update
- For macOS Ventura (13.x) users: Update to macOS Ventura 13.4 via System Preferences > Software Update
- Restart the system when prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2023-32369 — 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-2023-32369 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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- 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
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