dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-36495

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.6 / 12.6.8 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
An integer overflow was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.6, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, tvOS 16.6, iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5. 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

Integer overflow vulnerability in Apple kernel allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, achieving complete system compromise. The fix implements improved input validation to prevent the overflow condition.

MitigationApply Apple security updates: update watchOS to 9.6, macOS to 12.6.8/13.5, iOS/iPadOS to 15.7.8/16.6, and tvOS to 16.6. Prioritize externally-facing and high-value devices given the critical CVSS 9.8 rating.

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:>= 12.0, < 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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. Identify the Apple operating system product
    Determine which Apple OS is running: iOS (iPhone), iPadOS (iPad), macOS (Mac), tvOS (Apple TV), or watchOS (Apple Watch). On the device, go to Settings > General > About to find the OS name and version number.
    Affected if Any of the Apple operating systems listed in the affected versions
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number. Compare against vulnerable ranges: < 15.7.8, or >= 16.0 and < 16.6.
    Affected if The installed iOS or iPadOS version is less than 15.7.8, or is 16.0 through 16.5.x
  3. Check macOS version
    On Mac, go to Apple menu > About This Mac to find the macOS version. Compare against vulnerable ranges: >= 12.0 and < 12.6.8, or >= 13.0 and < 13.5.
    Affected if The installed macOS version is 12.0 through 12.6.7, or 13.0 through 13.4.x
  4. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About to find the tvOS version. Compare against vulnerable range: < 16.6.
    Affected if The installed tvOS version is earlier than 16.6
  5. Check watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > About, or on the Watch go to Settings > General > About. Compare against vulnerable range: < 9.6.
    Affected if The installed watchOS version is earlier than 9.6

You are affected if your device runs any Apple OS version that falls within the specified vulnerable ranges, as the integer overflow in the kernel can be triggered by a malicious application to achieve kernel-level code execution.

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 / 12.6.8 / 13.5 or later
Fixed in 9.612.6.813.5
Interim mitigation

Apply Apple security updates: update watchOS to 9.6, macOS to 12.6.8/13.5, iOS/iPadOS to 15.7.8/16.6, and tvOS to 16.6. Prioritize externally-facing and high-value devices given the critical CVSS 9.8 rating.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7.8 or 16.6+, iPadOS 15.7.8 or 16.6+, macOS Monterey 12.6.8 or macOS Ventura 13.5+, tvOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6

  1. Identify the current installed version of the Apple operating system (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS)
  2. For iOS/iPadOS: If running version 15.x < 15.7.8, upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 15.7.8
  3. For iOS/iPadOS: If running version 16.x < 16.6, upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 16.6 or later
  4. For macOS Monterey (12.x): If running < 12.6.8, upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.6.8
  5. For macOS Ventura (13.x): If running < 13.5, upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.5
  6. For tvOS: If running < 16.6, upgrade to tvOS 16.6
  7. For watchOS: If running < 9.6, upgrade to watchOS 9.6
  8. Install the update via Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/tvOS, or System Settings > Software Update on macOS
Caveat Standard Apple OS update; ensure backup of important data before updating

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2023-36495 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