CVE-2023-42835
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 · uneditedA logic issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.1. An attacker may be able to access user data.
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 confidenceA logic flaw in macOS Sonoma allowed an attacker to bypass security checks and access user data. The vulnerability was addressed with improved validation checks in the macOS Sonoma 14.1 update, likely involving improper access control enforcement in a system component.
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< 14.1CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to display the exact macOS version numberAffected if The version displayed is 14.0 or below (any version prior to 14.1)
-
Confirm the macOS release nameRun 'sw_vers -productName' to verify the system is running macOS SonomaAffected if The system is running macOS Sonoma and the version from step 1 is below 14.1
-
Check the build number for precisionRun 'sw_vers -buildVersion' to obtain the specific build, then compare against known pre-14.1 Sonoma buildsAffected if The build version corresponds to a macOS Sonoma release older than the 14.1 security update
A system is affected if it is running any version of macOS Sonoma prior to version 14.1, as the logic flaw existed in the pre-14.1 releases and was addressed by Apple's improved validation checks in the 14.1 update.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped14.1
Update affected macOS systems to Sonoma 14.1 or later to apply Apple's improved logic checks. In enterprise environments, validate that the patch deployment completes successfully and does not introduce compatibility issues with existing workflows.
macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before updating
- Connect your Mac to a power source
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
- Click on 'General' in the sidebar
- Click 'Software Update'
- Wait for macOS to check for available updates
- If macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later is available, click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to download and install the update
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42835 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-42835 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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.
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.
- 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