dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-38598

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.6 / 11.7.9 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. 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. 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 confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in the kernel allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. This is a memory management flaw that can be exploited locally or potentially via malicious content to elevate privileges to kernel ring.

MitigationApply the Apple security updates for the respective product versions: watchOS 9.6, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, macOS Ventura 13.5, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.8, iOS/iPadOS 16.6, and tvOS 16.6. Prioritize external-facing and high-privilege systems.

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 your Apple device type
    On iOS/iPadOS: go to Settings > General > About. On macOS: click Apple menu > About This Mac. On watchOS: go to Settings > General > About. On tvOS: go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if Device is an Apple iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On iOS/iPadOS: open Settings > General > About and note the version number (e.g., 16.5). Compare against the affected ranges: < 15.7.8 OR >= 16.0 and < 16.6.
    Affected if Version is 15.7.7 or lower, or 16.0 through 16.5.x
  3. Check macOS version
    On macOS: click Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number (e.g., 13.4). Compare against affected ranges: < 11.7.9, OR >= 12.0 and < 12.6.8, OR >= 13.0 and < 13.5.
    Affected if Version is 11.7.8 or lower, 12.0-12.6.7, or 13.0-13.4.x
  4. Check watchOS version
    On Apple Watch: go to Settings > General > About and note the version. Or check via the Watch app on paired iPhone: go to General > About. Compare against affected range: < 9.6.
    Affected if Version is 9.5 or lower
  5. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV: go to Settings > General > About > Version. Compare against affected range: < 16.6.
    Affected if Version is 16.5 or lower

You are affected if your device runs any iOS/iPadOS version 15.7.7 or below, 16.0-16.5.x, macOS 11.7.8 or below, 12.0-12.6.7, or 13.0-13.4.x, watchOS 9.5 or below, or tvOS 16.5 or below.

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 Apple security updates for the respective product versions: watchOS 9.6, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, macOS Ventura 13.5, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.8, iOS/iPadOS 16.6, and tvOS 16.6. Prioritize external-facing and high-privilege systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7.8/16.6, iPadOS 15.7.8/16.6, macOS 11.7.9/12.6.8/13.5, tvOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6

  1. For iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update to version 15.7.8 (for 15.x devices) or 16.6 (for 16.x devices)
  2. For macOS: Go to System Preferences (or System Settings on Ventura) > Software Update and install the available update to version 11.7.9 (Big Sur), 12.6.8 (Monterey), or 13.5 (Ventura)
  3. For tvOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Update Software and install tvOS 16.6
  4. For watchOS: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update, and install watchOS 9.6
Caveat Standard OS update risks - ensure backups exist before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-38598 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