macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42859

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-21

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

NVD · unedited

The issue was addressed with improved checks. 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 modify protected parts of the file system.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This macOS vulnerability allowed an application to bypass file system protections and modify protected parts of the file system, likely circumventing System Integrity Protection (SIP) or similar access controls. The fix implemented improved permission checks in macOS Sonoma 14.1, Monterey 12.7.1, and Ventura 13.6.1 to prevent unauthorized file system modifications.

MitigationApply the available macOS security updates (Sonoma 14.1+, Monterey 12.7.1+, or Ventura 13.6.1+) to resolve the vulnerability. Ensure System Integrity Protection remains enabled after patching.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

macOSOperating system

Affected:>= 12.0, < 12.7.1>= 13.0, < 13.6.1= 14.0

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: High
Availability: None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Check installed macOS version

Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to Apple Menu > About This Mac > System Report > Software > macOS

Affected if Version is 12.0 to 12.7.0, 13.0 to 13.6.0, or exactly 14.0 (pre-14.1)
Verify System Integrity Protection status

Run 'csrutil status' in Terminal (requires Recovery mode to check fully)

Affected if SIP shows as disabled or was previously disabled and re-enabled without proper authentication
Confirm security update installation

Run 'system_profiler SPInstallHistoryDataType | grep -i 2023' in Terminal to list security updates installed in 2023

Affected if No security update from November 2023 or later is present (these contain the CVE fix)

If the macOS version is below 12.7.1 (Monterey), 13.6.1 (Ventura), or 14.1 (Sonoma), the system is affected by this vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.7.1 / 13.6.1 or later

Fixed in 12.7.113.6.1

Interim mitigation

Apply the available macOS security updates (Sonoma 14.1+, Monterey 12.7.1+, or Ventura 13.6.1+) to resolve the vulnerability. Ensure System Integrity Protection remains enabled after patching.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Monterey 12.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.6.1, or macOS Sonoma 14.1 (depending on your starting version)

Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before proceeding with the update
Open System Preferences (macOS 12) or System Settings (macOS 13+) from the Apple menu
Click on 'Software Update' to check for available updates
Allow macOS to check for the latest updates - the specific update (12.7.1, 13.6.1, or 14.1) should appear if your system is vulnerable
Click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to download and install the security update
Follow any on-screen prompts and allow the Mac to restart to complete the installation
After the update completes, verify the fix by going to Apple menu > About This Mac and confirming the version matches the fixed release for your hardware

Caveat Standard macOS point releases typically have minimal breaking changes; however, some older applications may have compatibility issues with the newer macOS versions

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

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-42859 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2023-42859?

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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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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 12.7.1 / 13.6.1 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: macOS

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in macOS 5 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $890

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References