dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-41068

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 / 16.7 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
An access issue was addressed with improved access restrictions. This issue is fixed in tvOS 17, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7. A user may be able to elevate 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 · low confidence

This is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS). The vulnerability allowed a user to potentially gain elevated privileges through an access control issue that was addressed with improved access restrictions. The specific attack vector, affected components, and exploitation method are not detailed in the available information.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10, iOS 16.7, or iPadOS 16.7 depending on the affected device.

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
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.7
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 10.0

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 your Apple device type
    Determine whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Watch. This determines which OS and version range applies to you.
    Affected if Device is an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Watch
  2. Check installed iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed next to 'Software Version'.
    Affected if Version is below 16.7 (for iOS or iPadOS)
  3. Check installed tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed next to 'tvOS Version'.
    Affected if Version is below 17.0 (for tvOS)
  4. Check installed watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > About, and note the version number. Alternatively, on the Watch go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if Version is below 10.0 (for watchOS)

You are affected if your device runs iOS or iPadOS below 16.7, tvOS below 17.0, or watchOS below 10.0, as the vulnerability exists in those earlier versions and was patched in the stated releases.

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 10.0 / 16.7 / 17.0 or later
Fixed in 10.016.717.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10, iOS 16.7, or iPadOS 16.7 depending on the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.7 or iOS 17.x | iPadOS 16.7 or iPadOS 17.x | tvOS 17.x | watchOS 10.x

  1. Determine the current iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS version on the affected device by navigating to Settings > General > About
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.7 or iPadOS 16.7, or update to iOS 17 / iPadOS 17 for the latest version
  3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 17
  4. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update, and install watchOS 10
  5. After updating, verify the version by checking Settings > General > About to confirm the device is running the fixed release
Caveat Major iOS 17 / iPadOS 17 updates may introduce app compatibility issues or changes to device behavior; review release notes before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get the upgrade done

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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-2023-41068 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