dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-40446

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.7.1 / 16.7.2 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 Monterey 12.7.1, iOS 16.7.2 and iPadOS 16.7.2, iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1. Processing maliciously crafted input may lead to arbitrary code execution in user-installed apps.

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 Apple's iOS/macOS allows processing of maliciously crafted input to achieve arbitrary code execution in user-installed apps. This appears to be a memory corruption issue (likely buffer overflow or similar) fixed through improved memory handling in the OS.

MitigationApply Apple security updates (macOS Monterey 12.7.1+, iOS/iPadOS 16.7.2+, or iOS/iPadOS 17.1+) to all affected devices to prevent exploitation.

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

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 operating system
    Determine if the device runs iOS, iPadOS, or macOS. On iOS/iPadOS: go to Settings > General > About. On macOS: click Apple menu > About This Mac.
    Affected if Device runs any of these Apple operating systems
  2. Check iOS/iPadOS version
    On iOS/iPadOS, view the Version number in Settings > General > About. Note the full version string (e.g., 16.7.1, 17.0).
    Affected if Version is 16.x below 16.7.2 OR version is 17.0 (any subversion below 17.1)
  3. Check macOS version
    On macOS, view the version in Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the full version (e.g., 12.6.9, 12.7.0).
    Affected if Version is 12.0.0 through 12.7.0 (Monterey)
  4. Confirm vulnerability scope
    This is a core OS memory handling flaw. Any app processing user-supplied input could trigger the vulnerability on affected versions - no specific feature needs to be enabled.
    Affected if Running an affected iOS/iPadOS or macOS version means the vulnerability is present regardless of app usage patterns

If the device runs iOS/iPadOS version 16.x before 16.7.2 or 17.0 before 17.1, or macOS 12.0.0 through 12.7.0, the environment is affected by this CVE.

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 / 16.7.2 / 17.1 or later
Fixed in 12.7.116.7.217.1
Interim mitigation

Apply Apple security updates (macOS Monterey 12.7.1+, iOS/iPadOS 16.7.2+, or iOS/iPadOS 17.1+) to all affected devices to prevent exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Monterey 12.7.1, iOS 16.7.2/iPadOS 16.7.2, or iOS 17.1/iPadOS 17.1

  1. For iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iPadOS 16.7.2 or later (or iPadOS 17.1+)
  2. For iPhone devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 16.7.2 or later (or iOS 17.1+)
  3. For macOS devices: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.7.1 or later
  4. Alternatively, manually download the appropriate IPSW or installer from Apple Developer portal or Apple Support

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,464.

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-2023-40446 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