dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-38590

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.6 / 11.7.9 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
A buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.6, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, tvOS 16.6, iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5. A remote user may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel 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 · high confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability in the kernel allows a remote attacker to cause system termination or corrupt kernel memory. The issue stems from improper memory handling and affects multiple Apple operating systems including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

MitigationApply the security updates for the respective operating system versions (iOS 15.7.8/16.6, iPadOS 15.7.8/16.6, macOS 11.7.9/12.6.8/13.5, watchOS 9.6, tvOS 16.6) to address the vulnerability.

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:< 11.7.9>= 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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Identify the Apple operating system
    Determine which Apple OS is running on the device: iOS (iPhone), iPadOS (iPad), macOS (Mac computer), watchOS (Apple Watch), or tvOS (Apple TV)
    Affected if Any Apple OS listed in the affected products is in use
  2. Check iOS/iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number. Alternatively, on macOS, connect the device and use Finder or check the device's About screen.
    Affected if Version is less than 15.7.8, OR between 16.0 and 16.6 (exclusive of 16.6)
  3. Check macOS version
    On Mac, go to System Settings (or System Preferences) > About, or run the command 'sw_vers' in Terminal. Note the macOS version number.
    Affected if Version is less than 11.7.9, OR between 12.0 and 12.6.8 (exclusive of 12.6.8), OR between 13.0 and 13.5 (exclusive of 13.5)
  4. Check watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, go to Settings > General > About. Or on the paired iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > About and note the watchOS version.
    Affected if Version is less than 9.6
  5. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the tvOS version number.
    Affected if Version is less than 16.6

You are affected if your installed OS version falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges for your specific Apple platform.

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 / 11.7.9 / 12.6.8 or later
Fixed in 9.611.7.912.6.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the security updates for the respective operating system versions (iOS 15.7.8/16.6, iPadOS 15.7.8/16.6, macOS 11.7.9/12.6.8/13.5, watchOS 9.6, tvOS 16.6) to address the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to one of: iOS/iPadOS 15.7.8, iOS/iPadOS 16.6, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, macOS Ventura 13.5, tvOS 16.6, or watchOS 9.6 depending on your device model and current branch

  1. Identify the current version of the affected Apple device (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS)
  2. Back up the device using iCloud or local backup before updating
  3. For iOS/iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the appropriate version - either iOS/iPadOS 15.7.8 (if staying on 15.x) or iOS/iPadOS 16.6 (if staying on 16.x)
  4. For macOS: Go to System Preferences > Software Update (or System Settings > General > Software Update on newer macOS) and install macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, Monterey 12.6.8, or Ventura 13.5 as applicable
  5. For tvOS: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software and install tvOS 16.6
  6. For watchOS: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.6
  7. After updating, verify the new version is installed by checking Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS, or System Preferences/System Settings on macOS
Caveat Standard minor version updates within the same major release typically have no breaking changes; however, always review release notes before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2023-38590 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