dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-40432

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 / 14.0 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 tvOS 17, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, macOS Sonoma 14. 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 multiple Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS) allows a malicious local application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10, or macOS Sonoma 14 depending on the affected 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:< 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
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. Check iOS version on iPhone
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' field. Alternatively, connect to a computer with iTunes/Finder and check the device information, or use idevicesyslog output.
    Affected if Version is lower than 17.0 (e.g., 16.x or earlier)
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' field. Alternatively, connect to a computer with iTunes/Finder and check the device information.
    Affected if Version is lower than 17.0 (e.g., 16.x or earlier)
  3. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal. The version is shown as the release number (e.g., 13.x for Ventura, 12.x for Monterey).
    Affected if Version is lower than 14.0 (macOS Sonoma). Versions 13.x, 12.x, and earlier are affected.
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV device. The version number is displayed next to 'Version'.
    Affected if Version is lower than 17.0 (e.g., 16.x or earlier)
  5. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    On iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > About, then scroll to see the watchOS version. Or on Apple Watch, go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if Version is lower than 10.0 (e.g., 9.x or earlier)

Any Apple device running iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, or macOS with a version number below 17.0 (or 14.0 for macOS, 10.0 for watchOS) is potentially affected if a malicious local application can be executed.

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

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10, or macOS Sonoma 14 depending on the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 17+, iPadOS 17+, macOS Sonoma 14+, tvOS 17+, watchOS 10+

  1. For iPhone and iPad devices: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 17.0 or later / iPadOS 17.0 or later
  2. For Mac computers: Navigate to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sonoma 14.0 or later
  3. For Apple TV: Navigate to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 17.0 or later
  4. For Apple Watch: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update on the paired iPhone and install watchOS 10.0 or later
  5. Alternatively, use iTunes/Finder (iPhone/iPad) or the Finder app (Mac) to check for and apply the latest OS updates
  6. After updating, verify the OS version meets the minimum fixed version for your device
Caveat Major OS upgrades may have app compatibility considerations; review app developer notes for your critical applications before upgrading

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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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-2023-40432 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