dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-41073

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 / 12.7 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 authorization issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.6, tvOS 17, iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7, macOS Monterey 12.7, watchOS 10, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14. An app may be able to access protected user data.

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

This is an Apple authorization vulnerability stemming from improper state management that could allow a malicious or compromised application to bypass authorization checks and access protected user data. The issue affects multiple Apple operating systems (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS) and was addressed through improved state validation in the listed patched versions.

MitigationApply the appropriate OS update for affected devices: macOS Ventura 13.6, Monterey 12.7, or Sonoma 14; iOS/iPadOS 16.7 or 17; tvOS 17; or watchOS 10, depending on the device type.

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:< 17.0
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0.0, < 12.7>= 13.0, < 13.6
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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 Apple operating system
    On macOS, run 'sw_vers' or check System Settings > About. On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About. On tvOS, go to Settings > General > About. On watchOS, use the Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > General > About.
    Affected if Any Apple device running macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS
  2. Check macOS version if applicable
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' or view System Settings > General > About to see the installed macOS version.
    Affected if Running macOS 12.0.0 through 12.6.x, or macOS 13.0 through 13.5.x
  3. Check iOS or iPadOS version if applicable
    Open Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed.
    Affected if Running iOS or iPadOS version 16.x or lower (any version below 17.0)
  4. Check tvOS version if applicable
    Open Settings > General > About on the Apple TV device.
    Affected if Running tvOS version 16.x or lower (any version below 17.0)
  5. Check watchOS version if applicable
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, or check Settings > General > About on the Apple Watch itself.
    Affected if Running watchOS version 9.x or lower (any version below 10.0)

You are affected if your device runs any macOS version 12.0.0-12.6.x or 13.0-13.5.x, any iOS/iPadOS below 17.0, any tvOS below 17.0, or any watchOS below 10.0.

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 / 12.7 / 13.6 or later
Fixed in 10.012.713.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate OS update for affected devices: macOS Ventura 13.6, Monterey 12.7, or Sonoma 14; iOS/iPadOS 16.7 or 17; tvOS 17; or watchOS 10, depending on the device type.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 17 / iPadOS 17 (or iOS 16.7 / iPadOS 16.7), macOS Monterey 12.7 / Ventura 13.6 / Sonoma 14, tvOS 17, watchOS 10 - depending on device

  1. Identify the affected Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Determine the current installed operating system version from Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS), System Settings/Preferences > About (macOS), or Settings > General > About (tvOS/watchOS)
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS 17.0 or later, or iOS 16.7/iPadOS 16.7 as alternative
  4. For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.7, macOS Ventura 13.6, or macOS Sonoma 14 depending on hardware support
  5. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 17.0 or later
  6. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 10.0 or later
  7. Install the update via Settings > General > Software Update (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS) or System Settings > General > Software Update (macOS)
  8. Restart the device after update completes to ensure all security patches are applied
Caveat Some older devices may not support the newer OS versions and may require hardware replacement; review Apple's device compatibility lists 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
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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-2023-41073 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