CVE-2023-38616
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 · uneditedA race condition was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in 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 confidenceA race condition in macOS kernel state handling allowed a malicious user-space application to potentially escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. This is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting macOS systems prior to Ventura 13.5.
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< 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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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Determine macOS versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version displayed is below 13.5 (e.g., 13.4, 13.3, 12.x, 11.x, etc.)
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Confirm kernel-level exposureVerify the system is running a vulnerable macOS kernel by checking uname -a shows Darwin kernel versions associated with pre-13.5 releasesAffected if Kernel version corresponds to macOS Ventura prior to 13.5 update
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Check for kernel extension loadingRun: kextstat | grep -i (problematic) - this vulnerability is in kernel state handling, so any user-space process could potentially trigger it; no specific kext neededAffected if System is running any kernel extensions or user-space applications (standard condition)
If the installed macOS version is below 13.5, the system is affected by this kernel race condition privilege escalation vulnerability.
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 · scoped13.5
Apply the macOS Ventura 13.5 security update or later to patch the kernel race condition vulnerability.
macOS Ventura 13.5
- 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before proceeding with the system upgrade.
- 2. Ensure you have at least 20GB of free disk space available for the upgrade.
- 3. Connect your Mac to a stable power source and reliable internet connection.
- 4. Open System Settings (System Preferences on older macOS versions).
- 5. Navigate to General > Software Update.
- 6. Wait for macOS Ventura 13.5 to appear as an available update.
- 7. Click 'Update Now' or 'Download and Install' to begin the upgrade process.
- 8. Follow the on-screen instructions and allow the system to restart during the installation.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-2023-38616 — 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-2023-38616 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
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