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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 2 Oct 2023.
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-41064

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7.10 / 12.6.9 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild 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
A buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1, macOS Monterey 12.6.9, macOS Ventura 13.5.2, iOS 15.7.9 and iPadOS 15.7.9, macOS Big Sur 11.7.10. Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

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 buffer overflow vulnerability exists in image processing components across multiple Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS). Processing a maliciously crafted image triggers improper memory handling, allowing an attacker to overwrite memory boundaries and execute arbitrary code. This is a zero-day vulnerability with confirmed active exploitation.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates (iOS 16.6.1/iPadOS 16.6.1, iOS 15.7.9/iPadOS 15.7.9, macOS Ventura 13.5.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.9, macOS Big Sur 11.7.10) to all affected devices immediately, prioritizing externally-facing systems.

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:< 15.7.9>= 16.0, < 16.6.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.9>= 16.0, < 16.6.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.7.10>= 12.0, < 12.6.9>= 13.0, < 13.5.2

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
    On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About. On macOS, click the Apple menu and select About This Mac.
    Affected if Device runs Apple iOS, iPadOS, or macOS
  2. Check the installed iOS version
    On iPhone, go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the number (for example, 16.6).
    Affected if iOS version is less than 15.7.9, or between 16.0 and 16.6.1 (exclusive)
  3. Check the installed iPadOS version
    On iPad, go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the number.
    Affected if iPadOS version is less than 15.7.9, or between 16.0 and 16.6.1 (exclusive)
  4. Check the installed macOS version
    On Mac, click Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (for example, 13.4).
    Affected if macOS version is 11.0 to 11.7.9, 12.0 to 12.6.8, or 13.0 to 13.5.1

The device is affected if it runs iOS or iPadOS versions before 15.7.9 or between 16.0 and 16.6.1, or macOS versions 11.7.9 and earlier, 12.6.8 and earlier, or 13.5.1 and earlier.

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 11.7.10 / 12.6.9 / 13.5.2 or later
Fixed in 11.7.1012.6.913.5.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates (iOS 16.6.1/iPadOS 16.6.1, iOS 15.7.9/iPadOS 15.7.9, macOS Ventura 13.5.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.9, macOS Big Sur 11.7.10) to all affected devices immediately, prioritizing externally-facing systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.6.1/iPadOS 16.6.1 (or iOS 15.7.9/iPadOS 15.7.9 for older devices); macOS Ventura 13.5.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.9, or macOS Big Sur 11.7.10 depending on current macOS version

  1. Back up your device data before performing the update
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update (iOS 16.6.1 or iOS 15.7.9, iPadOS 16.6.1 or iPadOS 15.7.9)
  3. For macOS: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update (macOS Ventura 13.5.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.9, or macOS Big Sur 11.7.10)
  4. Alternatively, download the appropriate IPSW (iPhone/iPad) or PKG (macOS) from Apple's official support site and restore via Finder/iTunes
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - ensure backup before upgrading; some older apps may become incompatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.

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-2023-41064 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