CVE-2023-38261
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, 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 · moderate confidenceA memory handling vulnerability in iOS 16.6 and earlier, iPadOS 16.6 and earlier, and macOS Ventura 13.4 and earlier allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, potentially giving the attacker full control of the device.
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< 13.5CVSS 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
- 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 Mac computer. This determines which operating system to check.Affected if The device runs iOS, iPadOS, or macOS from Apple.
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Check iOS version on iPhoneOn iPhone, go to Settings > General > About. Look at the 'Version' field to see the installed iOS version (e.g., 16.5, 16.5.1).Affected if The displayed iOS version is less than 16.6 (for example, 16.5, 16.5.1, 16.4, etc.).
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Check iPadOS version on iPadOn iPad, go to Settings > General > About. Look at the 'Version' field to see the installed iPadOS version.Affected if The displayed iPadOS version is less than 16.6.
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Check macOS version on MacOn Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number is displayed (e.g., 13.4, 13.4.1).Affected if The displayed macOS version is less than 13.5 (for example, 13.4, 13.4.1, 13.3, etc.).
You are affected if your device runs iOS, iPadOS, or macOS Ventura with a version number lower than 16.6 (for iOS/iPadOS) or 13.5 (for macOS Ventura).
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 · scoped13.516.6
Apply the vendor-supplied security updates: update iOS/iPadOS devices to version 16.6 or later, and macOS Ventura devices to version 13.5 or later.
iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5
- Check the current iOS/iPadOS version on the device by going to Settings > General > About
- Back up the device data using iCloud or computer backup before updating
- On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.6 or iPadOS 16.6
- On Mac: Go to System Settings > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.5
- After updating, verify the device is running the fixed version in Settings > General > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38261 — 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-2023-38261 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