CVE-2023-42844
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.1, macOS Monterey 12.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.6.1. A website may be able to access sensitive user data when resolving symlinks.
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 symlink handling vulnerability in macOS allows a malicious website to access sensitive user data by tricking the browser into resolving symlinks that point outside the intended sandbox, potentially exposing files outside the web content's allowed directory.
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>= 12.0.0, < 12.7.1>= 13.0, < 13.6.1>= 14.0, < 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.
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Identify your macOS versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version returned is 12.0.0 to 12.7.0, 13.0 to 13.6.0, or 14.0 to 14.0.x (any version before 12.7.1, 13.6.1, or 14.1)
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Confirm the major version numberRun: uname -r and note the Darwin kernel version, or check System Settings > General > About for the marketing name (Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma)Affected if The system runs Monterey (version 12), Ventura (version 13), or Sonoma (version 14) but is not updated to the patched releases
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Verify browser environmentConfirm you use Safari or another web browser on this macOS installationAffected if A web browser is installed and used, since the vulnerability is triggered through browser-based symlink resolution
You are affected if your macOS version falls within 12.0.0-12.7.0, 13.0-13.6.0, or 14.0-14.0.x, as these versions contain the vulnerable symlink handling in the browser component.
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 · scoped12.7.113.6.114.1
Update to the patched macOS versions (Sonoma 14.1, Monterey 12.7.1, or Ventura 13.6.1) which contain improved symlink handling controls.
macOS Monterey 12.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.6.1, or macOS Sonoma 14.1 (depending on which major version is currently installed)
- Check current macOS version via Apple menu > About This Mac
- Back up important data before applying any system update
- For macOS Monterey (12.x) users: Update to macOS Monterey 12.7.1 via System Settings > General > Software Update
- For macOS Ventura (13.x) users: Update to macOS Ventura 13.6.1 via System Settings > General > Software Update
- For macOS Sonoma (14.x) users: Update to macOS Sonoma 14.1 via System Settings > General > Software Update
- Restart the system after the update completes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42844 — 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-2023-42844 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
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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
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