CVE-2023-41063
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 · uneditedThe issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.6, tvOS 17, iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, 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 · moderate confidenceA memory handling vulnerability in the Apple kernel allows a malicious application to escalate privileges from user space to kernel level, enabling arbitrary code execution with the highest system privileges.
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< 16.7< 16.7>= 13.0, < 13.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check macOS version on Apple desktops and laptopsOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version returned is 13.0, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, or 13.5 (any version from 13.0 up to but not including 13.6)
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Check iOS version on iPhonesGo to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version numberAffected if The version is 16.6 or lower (any version before 16.7)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadsGo to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version numberAffected if The version is 16.6 or lower (any version before 16.7)
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Confirm kernel is active (prerequisite for exploit)This is a kernel-level vulnerability - the kernel is always running on a functioning Apple device. No additional configuration or feature needs to be enabled.Affected if The device is powered on and running any vulnerable macOS (13.0-13.5) or iOS/iPadOS (below 16.7) version
A user is affected if their Apple device runs macOS 13.0-13.5 or iOS/iPadOS below 16.7, as these versions contain the vulnerable kernel memory handling code.
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 · scoped13.616.7
Apply the available security updates: macOS Ventura 13.6+, macOS Sonoma 14+, tvOS 17+, iOS/iPadOS 16.7+, or iOS/iPadOS 17+ to patch the kernel memory handling flaw.
iOS 16.7+, iPadOS 16.7+, macOS Ventura 13.6+, or macOS Sonoma 14+
- For iOS/iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update, then download and install iOS 16.7 or later / iPadOS 16.7 or later
- For macOS Ventura (13.x) users: Go to System Settings > Software Update, then download and install macOS Ventura 13.6 or later
- For macOS users eligible for macOS Sonoma (14.x): Go to System Settings > Software Update, then download and install macOS Sonoma 14
- Alternatively, manually download the appropriate IPSW or installer from Apple's website and update your device
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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-2023-41063 — 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-2023-41063 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
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