CVE-2023-42862
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 · uneditedAn out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.3, tvOS 16.4, iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4. Processing an image may result in disclosure of process memory.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability in image processing components allowed disclosure of process memory. The issue was fixed with improved input validation in Apple operating systems.
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< 16.4< 16.4>= 13.0, < 13.3< 16.4< 9.4CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 Apple device operating systemDetermine whether the device runs iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS - this determines which version range appliesAffected if N/A - this is the first identification step
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Check iOS or iPadOS versionGo to Settings > General > About on iPhone or iPad; look at the 'Version' fieldAffected if Version is below 16.4 (e.g., 16.3.x, 16.2.x, earlier)
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Check macOS versionGo to System Settings > About (or Apple menu > About This Mac on older versions); look at the 'Version' fieldAffected if Version is 13.0, 13.1, or 13.2 (versions 13.3 and later are fixed)
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Check tvOS or watchOS versionGo to Settings > General > About on Apple TV; look at the 'Version' field. For Apple Watch, open the Watch app on iPhone and go to General > AboutAffected if tvOS version is below 16.4, or watchOS version is below 9.4
You are affected if your device runs iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS below 16.4 (or 9.4 for watchOS), or macOS between 13.0 and 13.2.x inclusive.
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 · scoped9.413.316.4
Apply the available security updates (macOS Ventura 13.3, tvOS 16.4, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4) to all affected devices.
iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4
- For iPhone and iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4
- For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.3
- For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.4
- For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.4
- After updating, verify the version in Settings > General > About to confirm the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42862 — 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-2023-42862 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