dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-32441

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.6 / 11.7.9 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 Monterey 12.6.8, iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, macOS Ventura 13.5, watchOS 9.6. 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 · high confidence

This is a kernel privilege escalation vulnerability caused by improper memory handling in multiple Apple operating systems. A malicious application can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, effectively gaining full control over the affected device.

MitigationApply the available security updates (macOS 12.6.8/11.7.9/13.5, iOS 15.7.8/16.6, iPadOS 15.7.8/16.6, tvOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6) to all affected devices to remediate this vulnerability.

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:< 15.7.8>= 16.0, < 16.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.8>= 16.0, < 16.6
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.7.9>= 12.0.0, < 12.6.8>= 13.0, < 13.5
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.6
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.6

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 iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version number under 'Version'
    Affected if The version is less than 15.7.8, or >= 16.0 and less than 16.6
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version number under 'Version'
    Affected if The version is less than 15.7.8, or >= 16.0 and less than 16.6
  3. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number under 'macOS'
    Affected if The version is >= 11.0 and less than 11.7.9, OR >= 12.0.0 and less than 12.6.8, OR >= 13.0 and less than 13.5
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV
    Affected if The version is less than 16.6
  5. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About and note the watchOS version
    Affected if The version is less than 9.6

A device is affected if its operating system version falls within any of the specified vulnerable ranges for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS.

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 9.6 / 11.7.9 / 12.6.8 or later
Fixed in 9.611.7.912.6.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates (macOS 12.6.8/11.7.9/13.5, iOS 15.7.8/16.6, iPadOS 15.7.8/16.6, tvOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6) to all affected devices to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7.8 or iOS 16.6+ | iPadOS 15.7.8 or iPadOS 16.6+ | macOS Big Sur 11.7.9+ / Monterey 12.6.8+ / Ventura 13.5+ | tvOS 16.6+ | watchOS 9.6+

  1. Identify the current version of the Apple device (iOS/iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS) by going to Settings > General > About on iPhone/iPad, System Settings > General > About on macOS, Settings > General > About on tvOS, or Settings > General > About on Apple Watch
  2. On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and download/install the appropriate update (iOS 15.7.8 or iOS 16.6+, iPadOS 15.7.8 or iPadOS 16.6+)
  3. On macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the appropriate update (macOS Big Sur 11.7.9+, macOS Monterey 12.6.8+, or macOS Ventura 13.5+)
  4. On Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > Apple TV Software Updates and enable automatic updates or manually check for tvOS 16.6
  5. On Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.6
  6. After updating, verify the new version by checking Settings > General > About to confirm the fix version is installed
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - ensure backups exist before updating; some legacy apps may be incompatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-32441 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