CVE-2023-42878
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 privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries. This issue is fixed in watchOS 10.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1, iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1. An app may be able to access sensitive user data.
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 confidenceThis is a privacy vulnerability in Apple's iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS where an application could access sensitive user data through improperly redacted log entries. The fix involved implementing improved private data redaction for log files to prevent exposure of sensitive information.
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< 17.1< 17.1= 14.0< 10.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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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Check iOS version on iPhoneGo to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' field, or run 'nsgeneratemanifest' command via iTunes/Finder in device infoAffected if Version is less than 17.1 (for example, 17.0.x or 16.x)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadGo to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' fieldAffected if Version is less than 17.1 (for example, 17.0.x or 16.x)
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Check macOS version on MacClick Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in TerminalAffected if Version reports exactly 14.0 (macOS Sonoma initial release)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > About, or open Settings on the Watch and navigate to General > AboutAffected if Version is less than 10.1 (for example, 10.0.x or 9.x)
If the device runs iOS, iPadOS, or watchOS versions below 17.1, 17.1, and 10.1 respectively, or macOS exactly version 14.0, the improper log redaction vulnerability is present.
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 · scoped10.117.1
Apply the vendor-supplied OS updates: iOS 17.1+, iPadOS 17.1+, watchOS 10.1+, or macOS Sonoma 14.1+ to address the improper data redaction in system logs.
iOS 17.1, iPadOS 17.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1, watchOS 10.1
- Identify all affected Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch) on your network
- For iPhone and iPad: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 17.1 or iPadOS 17.1
- For Mac: Navigate to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.1
- For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > Software Update and upgrade to watchOS 10.1
- After upgrading, verify the software version matches or exceeds the fixed releases
- Restart devices after update completion
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42878 — 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-2023-42878 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