dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-40409

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 / 12.7 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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, macOS Monterey 12.7, watchOS 10, iOS 17 and iPadOS 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 memory handling vulnerability in the Apple kernel allows a malicious local application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level permissions. The issue was addressed with improved memory management in the patched versions.

MitigationApply the vendor security updates for affected Apple operating systems: macOS Ventura 13.6+, macOS Monterey 12.7+, tvOS 17+, watchOS 10+, iOS 17+, iPadOS 17+. Prioritize updating systems running older versions.

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:>= 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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the Apple operating system
    Determine whether the system is running macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS. On macOS, run 'sw_vers' or check System Settings > About. On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About. On tvOS/watchOS, go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if Any Apple OS is in use
  2. Check the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or view System Settings > About > macOS Version. Note the full version number (e.g., 13.5.1).
    Affected if Running macOS 12.x below 12.7, or macOS 13.x below 13.6
  3. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number (e.g., 16.7). Alternatively, connect to a computer with iTunes or Finder to view the iOS version.
    Affected if Running iOS or iPadOS versions earlier than 17.0
  4. Check the installed tvOS version
    On the Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the tvOS build number.
    Affected if Running tvOS versions earlier than 17.0
  5. Check the installed watchOS version
    On the Apple Watch, open the Settings app, go to General > About, and note the watchOS version. Alternatively, check via the paired iPhone in the Watch app under My Watch > General > About.
    Affected if Running watchOS versions earlier than 10.0

The system is affected if the installed Apple OS version falls below the minimum fixed version (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS 17.0, macOS 12.7 or 13.6, watchOS 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 / 12.7 / 13.6 or later
Fixed in 10.012.713.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor security updates for affected Apple operating systems: macOS Ventura 13.6+, macOS Monterey 12.7+, tvOS 17+, watchOS 10+, iOS 17+, iPadOS 17+. Prioritize updating systems running older versions.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Ventura 13.6, macOS Monterey 12.7, tvOS 17, watchOS 10

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 17 or iPadOS 17
  2. For Mac: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.6 or macOS Monterey 12.7 depending on your current macOS version
  3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 17
  4. For Apple Watch: On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 10
  5. After updating, verify the update was successful by checking the OS version in Settings
Caveat Standard OS update; back up data before updating as a precaution

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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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-2023-40409 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