CVE-2023-42861
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 state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.1. An attacker with knowledge of a standard user's credentials can unlock another standard user's locked screen on the same Mac.
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 confidenceA logic flaw in macOS state management allows an authenticated local user with standard credentials to bypass the lock screen and unlock another standard user's session on the same Mac. The vulnerability exploits insufficient validation of user identity state when switching between locked sessions.
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>= 14.0, < 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Check installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or click Apple menu > About This Mac > macOS versionAffected if Version is exactly 14.0 (macOS Sonoma 14.0)
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Confirm macOS major versionRun 'uname -r' or check System Settings > General > About. macOS Sonoma is version 14.xAffected if System is running macOS 14.0.x (the single vulnerable version)
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Verify patch statusRun 'softwareupdate --history' | grep -i 'macOS Sonoma 14.1' or check System Settings > General > Software Update for available updatesAffected if System has not received the 14.1 update or later
Affected only if the system runs macOS Sonoma 14.0 and has not been updated to 14.1 or later; version 14.1 and above are not vulnerable.
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
Apply macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later via Apple Software Update. In enterprise environments, test patch compatibility before broad deployment.
macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before performing any system update.
- Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
- Click on General in the sidebar, then click Software Update.
- Wait for macOS to check for updates.
- If macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later is available, click Download and Install.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Your Mac may restart during the process.
- After the update completes, verify the installation by checking System Settings > General > About to confirm macOS 14.1 or later is installed.
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-2023-42861 — 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-2023-42861 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data