dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42826

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.0 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 checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14. Processing a file may lead to arbitrary code execution.

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

CVE-2023-42826 is a vulnerability in macOS where processing a specially crafted file leads to arbitrary code execution. The flaw was addressed with improved checks, suggesting inadequate validation during file handling. This issue was fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.

MitigationApply the macOS Sonoma 14 security update or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 14.0

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 macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to retrieve the installed macOS version number
    Affected if The version is below 14.0 (e.g., 13.x, 12.x, or earlier)
  2. Verify full system version details
    Run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' to confirm the exact macOS release (e.g., Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur)
    Affected if The system reports any macOS version prior to Sonoma 14.0
  3. Confirm kernel and system frameworks are unpatched
    Check /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist for the product version string, or view the Security Update history in System Settings > General > About
    Affected if No macOS Sonoma 14 security update is listed in the update history

A system is affected if it runs any macOS version lower than 14.0 and has not received the Sonoma security update that addresses CVE-2023-42826.

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 14.0 or later
Fixed in 14.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the macOS Sonoma 14 security update or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.0

  1. Check current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
  2. Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup solution
  3. Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.0 or later by going to System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. Restart the computer when prompted to complete the installation
Caveat Major macOS upgrades may introduce compatibility issues with older applications; review app compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,304.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42826 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-42826 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