CVE-2023-38136
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 · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, 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 confidenceThis is a memory handling vulnerability in iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS that allows a malicious locally-installed application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, potentially giving the attacker full control over the device. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability requiring user installation of a malicious app.
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< 16.6< 16.6< 9.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify your Apple device typeDetermine if the device is an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch running iOS, iPadOS, or watchOS respectively. Different OS version thresholds apply to each platform.Affected if Device is an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch running a version of iOS, iPadOS, or watchOS below the fixed releases
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Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone or iPadOpen Settings > General > About > Version. Record the version number shown (for example: 16.5.1, 16.5, 16.4).Affected if The displayed version is below 16.6 (for example: 16.5.1, 16.5, 16.4, 16.3, etc.)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOn your paired iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > About > Version. Alternatively, on the Apple Watch go to Settings > General > About > Version. Record the version number shown.Affected if The displayed version is below 9.6 (for example: 9.5.1, 9.5, 9.4, etc.)
You are affected if your iPhone or iPad runs iOS or iPadOS version lower than 16.6, or your Apple Watch runs watchOS version lower than 9.6.
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 · scoped9.616.6
Apply iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, or watchOS 9.6 or later updates to affected devices to remediate this vulnerability.
iOS 16.6 / iPadOS 16.6 / watchOS 9.6 or later
- Check the current iOS/iPadOS version on the device by going to Settings > General > About
- Check the current watchOS version on the Apple Watch by opening the Watch app on iPhone > General > About
- Back up the device before updating (via iCloud or computer)
- For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.6 or later / iPadOS 16.6 or later
- For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.6 or later
- After update, verify the new version by checking Settings > General > About to confirm the version number
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38136 — 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-2023-38136 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