dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42854

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.7.1 / 13.6.1 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
This issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.1, macOS Monterey 12.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.6.1. An app may be able to cause a denial-of-service to Endpoint Security clients.

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

A denial-of-service vulnerability in macOS Endpoint Security allows a local application to crash or disable Endpoint Security clients. The vulnerability was patched by Apple through code removal in macOS Sonoma 14.1, Monterey 12.7.1, and Ventura 13.6.1.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update (Sonoma 14.1+, Monterey 12.7.1+, or Ventura 13.6.1+) to affected systems to resolve the 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:>= 12.0, < 12.7.1>= 13.0, < 13.6.1>= 14.0, < 14.1

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Determine installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to get the exact version number (e.g., 13.5, 14.0)
    Affected if The version falls within < 12.7.1 for Monterey, < 13.6.1 for Ventura, or < 14.1 for Sonoma
  2. Identify macOS build name
    Run 'sw_vers -buildVersion' to confirm whether the system is Monterey (build 21xxx), Ventura (22xxx), or Sonoma (23xxx)
    Affected if The build corresponds to an affected major version family and is below the fixed release
  3. Check for active Endpoint Security client
    Run 'systemextensionsctl list' to enumerate any installed system extensions, or inspect running processes for known Endpoint Security client daemons
    Affected if Any Endpoint Security client is installed and active on a vulnerable macOS version
  4. Verify Endpoint Security framework status
    Check for /Library/Extensions or /System/Library/Extensions directories for Endpoint Security-related kexts, or query 'system_profiler SPExtensionsDataType' for loaded extensions
    Affected if Endpoint Security-related extensions are loaded on an unpatched macOS version

A system is affected if it runs macOS Monterey < 12.7.1, Ventura < 13.6.1, or Sonoma < 14.1 AND has an Endpoint Security client actively installed or enabled.

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 12.7.1 / 13.6.1 / 14.1 or later
Fixed in 12.7.113.6.114.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Sonoma 14.1+, Monterey 12.7.1+, or Ventura 13.6.1+) to affected systems to resolve the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 12.7.1 (Monterey) / macOS 13.6.1 (Ventura) / macOS 14.1 (Sonoma) or later

  1. Identify the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu > About This Mac
  2. If running macOS Monterey 12.x, upgrade to macOS 12.7.1 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  3. If running macOS Ventura 13.x, upgrade to macOS 13.6.1 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. If running macOS Sonoma 14.0, upgrade to macOS 14.1 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  5. Alternatively, download the appropriate macOS installer from Apple's website and reinstall to apply the security update
  6. Restart the system after the update completes

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-42854 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