CVE-2023-40441
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 resource exhaustion issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14. Processing web content may lead to a denial-of-service.
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 confidenceThis is a resource exhaustion vulnerability in Apple's iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma 14 where processing malicious web content can cause denial of service. The issue was addressed through improved input validation to prevent excessive resource consumption.
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< 17.0< 17.0< 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 your Apple device typeDetermine whether the device is an iPhone (iOS), iPad (iPadOS), or Mac (macOS). On iOS devices, go to Settings > General > About. On Macs, click the Apple menu > About This Mac.Affected if Device is an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running Apple operating systems
-
Check iOS or iPadOS versionOn iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number (e.g., 16.7.2).Affected if Version is below 17.0 (e.g., 16.x or earlier)
-
Check macOS versionOn Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (e.g., 13.5).Affected if Version is below 14.0 (e.g., 13.x or earlier)
-
Confirm WebKit usageVerify that Safari or any app with web content viewing capabilities (mail browsers, third-party browsers, etc.) is in use. The vulnerability is triggered when processing malicious web content through WebKit.Affected if WebKit-based browsing or content rendering is enabled and actively used
You are affected if your device runs iOS/iPadOS below 17.0 or macOS below 14.0 and you use Safari or any WebKit-enabled application to browse or render web content.
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 · scoped14.017.0
Users should update to iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14 or later. Organizations should ensure all managed devices are running patched versions.
iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 for iPhone/iPad; macOS Sonoma 14 for Mac
- Check the current iOS/iPadOS version by going to Settings > General > About, or check macOS version from System Settings > About
- Backup all important data before upgrading
- For iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 17 or iPadOS 17
- For macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sonoma 14
- After upgrade, verify the version by checking Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > About (macOS)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40441 — 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-2023-40441 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