dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42828

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.5 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
This issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.5. An app may be able to gain root 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 macOS Ventura 13.5 and earlier. An application could potentially exploit this flaw to gain root (administrator) privileges on the affected system. The vulnerability was addressed by removing the vulnerable code.

MitigationUpdate to macOS Ventura 13.5 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:< 13.5

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 installed macOS version via Terminal
    Run the command: `sw_vers -productVersion`
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 13.5 (e.g., 13.4.x, 13.3.x, 13.0.x, etc.)
  2. Check macOS version via System Settings
    Open System Settings > General > About and note the version number under macOS Ventura
    Affected if The version shown is below 13.5
  3. Check system profiler output for detailed version
    Run: `system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType | grep 'System Version'`
    Affected if The reported system version is earlier than 13.5
  4. Verify the build number (optional confirmation)
    Run: `sw_vers -buildVersion` and compare against known fixed builds for 13.5
    Affected if The build number corresponds to a pre-13.5 release

If the macOS version is any release earlier than 13.5, the system is affected by this privilege escalation vulnerability.

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 13.5 or later
Fixed in 13.5
Interim mitigation

Update to macOS Ventura 13.5 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Ventura 13.5 or later

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine before updating
  2. Go to System Preferences (or System Settings on macOS Ventura and later)
  3. Click on Software Update
  4. Allow macOS to check for updates
  5. If macOS 13.5 or later is available, click Update Now to install the security update
  6. After the update completes, restart your Mac if prompted
  7. Verify the update was successful by checking System Settings > General > About > macOS Version shows 13.5 or later

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $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 $1,200.

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-2023-42828 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