CVE-2023-32404
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved entitlements. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5, watchOS 9.5, macOS Ventura 13.4. An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.
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 an Apple entitlements vulnerability where a malicious or misconfigured app could bypass Privacy preferences on iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS. The issue was addressed with improved entitlement controls in the specified OS versions.
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>= 16.0, < 16.5>= 16.0, < 16.5>= 13.0, < 13.4< 9.5CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/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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Check iOS versionGo to Settings > General > About on the iPhone and read the Version numberAffected if Version is 16.0 through 16.4.x (any version >= 16.0 but < 16.5)
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Check iPadOS versionGo to Settings > General > About on the iPad and read the Version numberAffected if Version is 16.0 through 16.4.x (any version >= 16.0 but < 16.5)
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Check macOS versionClick Apple menu > About This Mac and read the version number under macOSAffected if Version is 13.0 through 13.3.x (any version >= 13.0 but < 13.4)
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Check watchOS versionOpen the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, and read the watchOS versionAffected if Version is below 9.5 (any version < 9.5)
If the device runs iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or watchOS within the vulnerable version ranges listed, the device is affected by this entitlements bypass vulnerability.
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 · scoped9.513.416.5
Update all affected devices to iOS 16.5+, iPadOS 16.5+, watchOS 9.5+, or macOS Ventura 13.4+ to receive the entitlements fix.
iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5, watchOS 9.5, macOS Ventura 13.4
- Update iPhone or iPad to iOS 16.5 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
- Update iPad to iPadOS 16.5 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
- Update Apple Watch to watchOS 9.5 or later via the Watch app on iPhone
- Update Mac to macOS Ventura 13.4 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
- After updating, verify the device no longer has the vulnerable app installed or re-install the app from the App Store to get the properly entitled version
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
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32404 — 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-2023-32404 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