CVE-2023-38421
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 checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.5, macOS Monterey 12.6.8. Processing a 3D model may result in disclosure of process memory.
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 disclosure vulnerability exists in macOS 3D model processing where insufficient validation or bounds checking during model parsing allows an attacker to read process memory contents. This information disclosure is triggered by processing a specially crafted 3D model file.
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< 12.6.8>= 13.0, < 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Check your macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or view System Settings > About > macOS versionAffected if The version is less than 12.6.8, or greater than or equal to 13.0 but less than 13.5
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Confirm macOS update statusCheck if Security Updates are installed via System Settings > General > Software Update, or run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' to see update historyAffected if No security updates installing version 12.6.8 or 13.5+ have been applied to an otherwise affected system
You are affected if your macOS version falls within the vulnerable range (below 12.6.8 or between 13.0-13.5) and you process untrusted 3D model files using built-in macOS model viewing features.
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 · scoped12.6.813.5
Apply macOS Ventura 13.5, Monterey 12.6.8, or later security updates to patch the vulnerability. Users should avoid processing untrusted 3D model files until the update is applied.
macOS Monterey 12.6.8 or macOS Ventura 13.5 (depending on current OS version)
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or other backup solution
- Determine your current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
- If running macOS Monterey (12.x), upgrade to version 12.6.8: Open System Preferences > Software Update and install the available update, or download macOS Monterey 12.6.8 from Apple Support
- If running macOS Ventura (13.0-13.4), upgrade to version 13.5: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update, or download macOS Ventura 13.5 from Apple Support
- After upgrading, verify the fix by checking System Settings > General > About to confirm the installed version matches 12.6.8 or 13.5
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2023-38421 — 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-2023-38421 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