dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-40403

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 / 12.7 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.6, tvOS 17, iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7, macOS Monterey 12.7, watchOS 10, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14. Processing web content may disclose sensitive information.

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 confidence

A memory handling vulnerability in Apple WebKit allows processing of malicious web content to disclose sensitive information. The flaw exists in how web content is processed across macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS, allowing an attacker to potentially access sensitive data through crafted web content.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches by updating affected devices to macOS Ventura 13.6+, Monterey 12.7+, Sonoma 14+, iOS/iPadOS 16.7+ or 17+, tvOS 17+, or watchOS 10+ as appropriate for each device.

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:< 16.7
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0.0, < 12.7>= 13.0, < 13.6
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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion. Or go to Apple Menu > About This Mac and note the version number.
    Affected if Version is 12.0.0 through 12.6.x, or 13.0 through 13.5.x (any version less than 12.7 or 13.6 on Monterey or Ventura respectively)
  2. Check iOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number.
    Affected if Version is less than 16.7 (any 15.x or 16.0-16.6 version)
  3. Check iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number.
    Affected if Version is less than 16.7 (any 15.x or 16.0-16.6 version)
  4. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number.
    Affected if Version is less than 17.0 (any version 16.x or earlier)
  5. Check watchOS version
    On the watch, go to Settings > General > About. Or open the Watch app on paired iPhone and check Watch > General > About.
    Affected if Version is less than 10.0 (any version 9.x or earlier)

If any Apple device runs an OS version below the patched thresholds (iOS/iPadOS 16.7+, macOS 12.7+/13.6+, tvOS 17+, watchOS 10+) and uses WebKit-based browsing (Safari or third-party browsers), the environment is potentially affected.

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 / 12.7 / 13.6 or later
Fixed in 10.012.713.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches by updating affected devices to macOS Ventura 13.6+, Monterey 12.7+, Sonoma 14+, iOS/iPadOS 16.7+ or 17+, tvOS 17+, or watchOS 10+ as appropriate for each device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.7/iPadOS 16.7 or iOS 17/iPadOS 17; macOS Monterey 12.7, macOS Ventura 13.6, or macOS Sonoma 14; tvOS 17; watchOS 10

  1. Identify the current installed OS version on the device (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS)
  2. Determine if the current version is less than the fixed release for your platform: iOS/iPadOS 16.7 or later (or iOS/iPadOS 17), macOS 12.7 or later (or macOS 13.6/14), tvOS 17 or later, watchOS 10 or later
  3. Before upgrading, back up all important data on the device
  4. Install the appropriate security update or upgrade to the fixed version via Settings > General > Software Update (iOS/iPadOS), System Preferences > Software Update (macOS), or the Settings app on the respective device
  5. After updating, verify the new OS version matches or exceeds the fixed release for your platform
  6. Ensure web content processing behavior is normal after the update
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - review app compatibility for major version jumps (e.g., iOS 16 to iOS 17); backup recommended before proceeding

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40403 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-40403 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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