dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-40396

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 / 14.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, watchOS 10, tvOS 17. 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 kernel-level memory handling vulnerability in Apple operating systems allows a malicious application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. This is a memory corruption issue in the kernel that can be exploited by a locally running app.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to iOS 17+, iPadOS 17+, macOS Sonoma 14+, watchOS 10+, or tvOS 17+. Restrict app installations to trusted sources as a defense-in-depth measure.

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:< 17.0
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 14.0
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 10.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Alternatively, connect the device to a computer with iTunes (Windows or older macOS) or Finder (macOS Mojave and later) and view the device information.
    Affected if The displayed version is less than 17.0 (for example, 16.x or earlier)
  2. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, then select About This Mac. The version number is displayed in the window that opens.
    Affected if The displayed version is less than 14.0 (versions such as 13.x Ventura, 12.x Monterey, or earlier)
  3. Check tvOS version
    On the Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version.
    Affected if The displayed version is less than 17.0
  4. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, then go to General > About > Watch Version.
    Affected if The displayed version is less than 10.0

The system is affected if the installed operating system version falls below the threshold for its product category: iOS/iPadOS below 17.0, macOS below 14.0, tvOS below 17.0, or watchOS below 10.0.

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 10.0 / 14.0 / 17.0 or later
Fixed in 10.014.017.0
Interim mitigation

Update affected devices to iOS 17+, iPadOS 17+, macOS Sonoma 14+, watchOS 10+, or tvOS 17+. Restrict app installations to trusted sources as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, watchOS 10, or tvOS 17 depending on device type

  1. Back up all important data on the device before starting the upgrade process
  2. Verify current OS version by navigating to Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > About (macOS)
  3. For iOS/iPadOS: Connect device to power and Wi-Fi, then go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update to iOS 17 or iPadOS 17
  4. For macOS: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sonoma 14
  5. For Apple Watch: On the watch, go to Settings > General > Software Update, or pair with iPhone and update via the Watch app
  6. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and enable 'Automatically Update' or select 'Update Software Now' to install tvOS 17
  7. After updating, verify the new OS version matches the fixed release (iOS 17+, iPadOS 17+, macOS 14+, watchOS 10+, tvOS 17+)
Caveat iOS 17, macOS 14, and other major OS updates may introduce breaking changes for legacy apps; review app compatibility before upgrading

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
Get the upgrade done

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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-2023-40396 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