dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-42833

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.0 / 17.0 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
A correctness issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14, Safari 17, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. Processing web content 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

This is a WebKit vulnerability in Safari and iOS/macOS where processing malicious web content can lead to arbitrary code execution. The issue was a correctness flaw (logic error) in WebKit that was addressed with improved validation checks. The vulnerability is exploited through specially crafted web pages.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: macOS Sonoma 14, Safari 17, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17. For enterprise environments, deploy patches via MDM or software distribution tools and verify completion across all affected devices.

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
SafariWeb browser
Affected:< 17.0
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Identify the Apple device type and operating system
    Determine if the system is macOS, iOS, or iPadOS. On macOS, run 'sw_vers' in Terminal. On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if Device is an Apple product running the affected operating systems
  2. Check macOS version on Mac computers
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the macOS version number (e.g., 13.x, 12.x).
    Affected if macOS version is less than 14.0 (Sonoma)
  3. Check Safari version on macOS
    Open Safari, go to Safari > About Safari, or run 'safari-version' in Terminal.
    Affected if Safari version is less than 17.0
  4. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPhone and note the iOS version number.
    Affected if iOS version is less than 17.0
  5. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPad and note the iPadOS version number.
    Affected if iPadOS version is less than 17.0
  6. Determine WebKit usage exposure
    Note that any browser on iOS/iPadOS uses the WebKit engine. The vulnerability is triggered by visiting malicious web pages in Safari (macOS) or any browser (iOS/iPadOS).
    Affected if Affected browser version is used to browse untrusted web content

A user is affected if their Safari version is below 17.0 on macOS, or if their iOS/iPadOS version is below 17.0 (since all iOS browsers rely on WebKit), and they browse potentially malicious web content.

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 / 17.0 or later
Fixed in 14.017.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates: macOS Sonoma 14, Safari 17, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17. For enterprise environments, deploy patches via MDM or software distribution tools and verify completion across all affected devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 14 (Sonoma), Safari 17, iOS 17, iPadOS 17

  1. For macOS: Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14 (or later) via System Settings > General > Software Update
  2. For iOS devices: Upgrade to iOS 17 (or later) via Settings > General > Software Update
  3. For iPadOS devices: Upgrade to iPadOS 17 (or later) via Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For Safari: Safari 17 is included in macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17; on older macOS, update Safari via the App Store or system software update
Caveat Major OS 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 Safari 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

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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-2023-42833 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