dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-41174

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 / 17.0 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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in tvOS 17, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, watchOS 10. 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 confidence

A memory handling vulnerability in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10 allows a malicious application to achieve kernel-level code execution, potentially giving an attacker full control of the device. This is a privilege escalation vulnerability exploitable by a local application.

MitigationApply the available OS updates (iOS 17+, iPadOS 17+, tvOS 17+, watchOS 10+) to all affected devices to remediate the kernel memory handling flaw.

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
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. Check iOS or iPadOS version on the device
    Open Settings > General > About on the iPhone or iPad and note the version number displayed next to 'Software Version'
    Affected if The version shown is earlier than 17.0 (for example, 16.x or earlier)
  2. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Open Settings > General > About on Apple TV and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'
    Affected if The version shown is earlier than 17.0 (for example, 16.x or earlier)
  3. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    On Apple Watch, open Settings > General > About and note the version number; alternatively, open the Watch app on a paired iPhone, go to General > About, and check the watchOS version
    Affected if The version shown is earlier than 10.0 (for example, 9.x or earlier)
  4. Confirm the vulnerability applies only to local applications
    Verify that the device allows installation of applications from untrusted sources (this is typically restricted on standard iOS/iPadOS devices, but may apply to jailbroken devices or development devices with sideloading enabled)
    Affected if The device has sideloaded or sideload-capable applications from untrusted sources installed and runs an affected OS version

A device is affected if it runs iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS versions below 17.0 (or below 10.0 for watchOS), allowing a local malicious application to potentially execute kernel-level code through the memory handling flaw.

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 / 17.0 or later
Fixed in 10.017.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the available OS updates (iOS 17+, iPadOS 17+, tvOS 17+, watchOS 10+) to all affected devices to remediate the kernel memory handling flaw.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, or watchOS 10 (depending on device type)

  1. Back up your iOS device before performing any system update
  2. Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone or iPad
  3. For iPhone: Upgrade to iOS 17 or later
  4. For iPad: Upgrade to iPadOS 17 or later
  5. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 17 or later
  6. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 10 or later
  7. Ensure the update completes successfully and verify the device is running the patched OS version
Caveat Some third-party apps may have compatibility issues with iOS 17/watchOS 10; verify app compatibility before upgrading production devices

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2023-41174 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