dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-40416

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.7.1 / 13.6.1 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 iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1, macOS Monterey 12.7.1, iOS 16.7.2 and iPadOS 16.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1. Processing an image may result in disclosure of process memory.

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 image processing on Apple devices (iOS, iPadOS, macOS) allows disclosure of process memory. The flaw appears to be an information leak during image parsing, likely a buffer over-read or similar memory access issue that exposes adjacent memory contents when processing specially crafted images.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to iOS 17.1/iPadOS 17.1, iOS 16.7.2/iPadOS 16.7.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.1, Ventura 13.6.1, or Sonoma 14.1 or later to apply the memory handling fixes.

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:< 16.7.2>= 17.0, < 17.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.7.2>= 17.0, < 17.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0.0, < 12.7.1>= 13.0, < 13.6.1>= 14.0, < 14.1

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. Identify device type and OS
    On iOS/iPadOS: go to Settings > General > About to see the version. On macOS: click Apple menu > About This Mac to see the version number and name (Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma).
    Affected if The device is running iOS, iPadOS, or macOS and processes images - the vulnerability is in the native image parsing system.
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Navigate to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version number (e.g., 17.0.3, 16.7.1).
    Affected if The version is less than 16.7.2, or is 17.0 through 17.0.x (any version from 17.0 up to but not including 17.1).
  3. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number (like 12.6.9, 13.5.2, 14.0.1) and the marketing name (Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma).
    Affected if The version is 12.x (Monterey) before 12.7.1, 13.x (Ventura) before 13.6.1, or 14.x (Sonoma) before 14.1.
  4. Confirm image processing context
    This vulnerability triggers when the device processes image files. Any app that loads images (including Safari, Mail, Photos, messaging apps, or third-party apps) can trigger the vulnerable code path when opening specially crafted image files.
    Affected if The device processes image files from untrusted sources - no special feature needs to be enabled; the flaw exists in the core image parsing subsystem (ImageIO/CoreGraphics).

The device is affected if it runs iOS/iPadOS versions 16.7.1 or earlier, 17.0.x through 17.0.x, or macOS versions 12.0.0-12.7.0, 13.0-13.6.0, or 14.0-14.0.x, and processes images from untrusted sources.

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 12.7.1 / 13.6.1 / 14.1 or later
Fixed in 12.7.113.6.114.1
Interim mitigation

Update affected devices to iOS 17.1/iPadOS 17.1, iOS 16.7.2/iPadOS 16.7.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.1, Ventura 13.6.1, or Sonoma 14.1 or later to apply the memory handling fixes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to iOS 16.7.2 or iOS 17.1; iPadOS 16.7.2 or iPadOS 17.1; macOS 12.7.1, 13.6.1, or 14.1 depending on current major version

  1. For iOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 16.7.2 (if currently on 16.x) or iOS 17.1 (if currently on 17.0)
  2. For iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iPadOS 16.7.2 (if currently on 16.x) or iPadOS 17.1 (if currently on 17.0)
  3. For macOS Monterey (12.x) devices: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS 12.7.1
  4. For macOS Ventura (13.x) devices: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS 13.6.1
  5. For macOS Sonoma (14.x) devices: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS 14.1
  6. After updating, verify the version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > General > About (macOS)
Caveat Standard patch update with minimal risk; ensure backups before updating

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
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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-2023-40416 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