dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42829

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7.9 / 12.6.8 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
The issue was addressed with additional restrictions on the observability of app states. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, macOS Ventura 13.5. An app may be able to access SSH passphrases.

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 · high confidence

This macOS vulnerability allowed a malicious application to access SSH passphrases by exploiting insufficient restrictions on the observability of app states. The vulnerability existed in macOS Big Sur, Monterey, and Ventura prior to the patched versions, enabling a local unprivileged app to potentially retrieve sensitive SSH authentication credentials.

MitigationUpdate macOS to version 11.7.9 (Big Sur), 12.6.8 (Monterey), or 13.5 (Ventura) or later to receive the vendor patch that adds restrictions on app state observability.

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:>= 11.0, < 11.7.9>= 12.0.0, < 12.6.8>= 13.0, < 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
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. Check installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to retrieve the exact macOS version number
    Affected if The version is 11.0 to 11.7.8 (Big Sur), 12.0.0 to 12.6.7 (Monterey), or 13.0 to 13.4 (Ventura)
  2. Confirm macOS name and build
    Run 'sw_vers' to see full version details including build number if needed for precise matching
    Affected if The major version falls within the vulnerable ranges listed above
  3. Verify SSH passphrase usage (optional context)
    Check for existence of ~/.ssh directory with encrypted private keys: ls -la ~/.ssh/ and look for key files without .pub extension, or check if keys use passphrase via 'ssh-keygen -y -f ~/.ssh/<key>' prompts for password
    Affected if SSH keys with passphrases exist on the system (the vulnerability targets these credentials)
  4. Review system for untrusted local applications
    Check Applications folder and ~/Applications for unknown or suspicious third-party apps that could exploit this vulnerability
    Affected if Untrusted or malicious local applications are present on the system

A system is affected if it runs macOS Big Sur 11.0-11.7.8, Monterey 12.0.0-12.6.7, or Ventura 13.0-13.4, and uses SSH with stored passphrases that a local malicious app could access.

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 11.7.9 / 12.6.8 / 13.5 or later
Fixed in 11.7.912.6.813.5
Interim mitigation

Update macOS to version 11.7.9 (Big Sur), 12.6.8 (Monterey), or 13.5 (Ventura) or later to receive the vendor patch that adds restrictions on app state observability.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 11.7.9 (Big Sur), macOS 12.6.8 (Monterey), or macOS 13.5 (Ventura) depending on your current major version

  1. 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before updating
  2. 2. Connect your Mac to power and a reliable internet connection
  3. 3. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
  4. 4. Click on General, then click Software Update
  5. 5. Wait for macOS to check for updates
  6. 6. If an update is available, click Download and Install
  7. 7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation
  8. 8. Restart your Mac when prompted to apply the update

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

Fix this in macOS 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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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-2023-42829 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