dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-36854

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7.9 / 12.6.8 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 checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.6.8, macOS Ventura 13.5, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9. Processing a file may lead to unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution.

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 file processing vulnerability in macOS that allows a maliciously crafted file to trigger either unexpected app termination (denial of service) or arbitrary code execution. The fix involved implementing improved input validation checks during file processing, likely addressing a buffer overflow or similar memory corruption issue.

MitigationApply the relevant macOS security update for your version (Big Sur 11.7.9, Monterey 12.6.8, or Ventura 13.5) to all affected systems. Avoid opening untrusted files from unknown sources until patches are applied.

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:>= 11.0, < 11.7.9>= 12.0.0, < 12.6.8>= 13.0, < 13.5

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 installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if Version is 11.0 through 11.7.8, 12.0.0 through 12.6.7, or 13.0 through 13.4 (any version in the affected ranges)
  2. Confirm macOS build number
    Run: uname -r or check About This Mac > System Report > Software section
    Affected if Build number corresponds to an unpatched version within the affected version ranges
  3. Check if security update is installed
    Open System Settings > General > Software Update and review installed updates, or check Security Update entries in Terminal: defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist
    Affected if No security update for CVE-2023-36854 appears in the update history
  4. Identify file processing exposure
    Review which applications on the system routinely open or process files from external sources (documents, images, archives)
    Affected if Any file processing application is in use on an unpatched macOS version

A system is affected if it runs any macOS version in the range 11.0 to 11.7.8, 12.0.0 to 12.6.7, or 13.0 to 13.4 AND processes files from any source, since the vulnerability exists in the OS file processing subsystem.

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 11.7.9 / 12.6.8 / 13.5 or later
Fixed in 11.7.912.6.813.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant macOS security update for your version (Big Sur 11.7.9, Monterey 12.6.8, or Ventura 13.5) to all affected systems. Avoid opening untrusted files from unknown sources until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Big Sur 11.7.9 / macOS Monterey 12.6.8 / macOS Ventura 13.5 (depending on current major version)

  1. Check the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. If running macOS Big Sur 11.x, upgrade to version 11.7.9 or later
  3. If running macOS Monterey 12.x, upgrade to version 12.6.8 or later
  4. If running macOS Ventura 13.x, upgrade to version 13.5 or later
  5. To upgrade, go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update
  6. Alternatively, download the appropriate Security Update from support.apple.com and install manually
Caveat Standard macOS upgrade considerations apply - verify app compatibility with the target version before proceeding

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

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 locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-36854 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-36854 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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