CVE-2023-41060
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 type confusion issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. A remote user may be able to cause kernel code execution.
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 confidenceA type confusion vulnerability in the Apple kernel allowed a remote attacker to potentially achieve kernel code execution. The issue was addressed through improved type checking and is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the operating systemDetermine whether the device runs macOS, iOS, or iPadOS. This can be done via System Settings > About on Apple devices, or System Preferences > About on macOS.Affected if The device runs any of these Apple operating systems.
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Check the macOS versionOn macOS, go to System Settings > About or System Preferences > About, and note the version number displayed (for example, 13.5 or 14.0).Affected if The installed macOS version is below 14.0 (such as 13.x or earlier).
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Check the iOS or iPadOS versionOn iOS or iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About, and note the version number displayed (for example, 16.7 or 17.0).Affected if The installed iOS or iPadOS version is below 17.0 (such as 16.x or earlier).
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Verify kernel code execution exposureConfirm that the device has network connectivity or processes external content, as this is a remote code execution vulnerability in the kernel. Review whether the device runs any untrusted applications or visits untrusted websites.Affected if The device is vulnerable based on version AND has network exposure or runs untrusted code.
The device is affected if it runs macOS versions before 14.0, or iOS/iPadOS versions before 17.0, and has network connectivity or processes external content that could trigger the type confusion in the kernel.
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
Deploy the vendor-supplied patches by updating all affected macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices to version 14/17 or later to remediate the vulnerability.
iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14
- Check current device version: On iPhone/iPad, go to Settings > General > About. On Mac, click Apple menu > About This Mac.
- Back up all important data before updating (use iCloud backup for iPhone/iPad or Time Machine for Mac).
- For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 17 or iPadOS 17.
- For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sonoma 14.
- After updating, verify the version is at least iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or macOS Sonoma 14.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-41060 — 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-2023-41060 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
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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