CVE-2023-40404
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 use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.1. 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 · moderate confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in macOS kernel memory management allows a malicious local application to achieve arbitrary code execution with kernel-level privileges, enabling complete system compromise.
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= 14.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the installed macOS versionRun `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal or check System Settings > About > VersionAffected if The version displayed is exactly 14.0 (macOS Sonoma 14.0)
-
Confirm the exact build numberRun `sw_vers -buildVersion` in TerminalAffected if The build number matches the 14.0 release build (23A344) and no subsequent security update has been applied
-
Verify if any kernel extensions are loadedRun `kextstat | grep -v com.apple` in Terminal to list third-party kernel extensionsAffected if Third-party kernel extensions are loaded, as the vulnerability resides in kernel memory management and may be triggered through kext interactions
-
Check system uptime and last security updateRun `softwareupdate --history` in Terminal to see installed security updatesAffected if No security update containing the CVE-2023-40404 patch has been installed (patches were released in macOS 14.1)
The system is affected if it is running exactly macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) without the 14.1 or later security update installed.
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 · scopedApply macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later security update which addresses the memory management flaw; prioritize patching endpoint systems given the local privilege escalation risk.
macOS Sonoma 14.1
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before updating
- Go to Apple menu > About This Mac to verify the current macOS version is 14.0
- Open System Settings > General > Software Update
- Allow macOS to check for updates and install the available update to macOS 14.1 (Sonoma 14.1)
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac shows version 14.1
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40404 — 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-2023-40404 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
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.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data