dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42888

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.2 / 12.7.3 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
The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.7.5 and iPadOS 16.7.5, watchOS 10.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.4, macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.3, iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2. Processing a maliciously crafted 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 · moderate confidence

This is an information disclosure vulnerability in Apple's image processing subsystem. When a user processes a maliciously crafted image file, the software fails to properly validate or bounds-check image data, allowing disclosure of adjacent process memory contents. The fix involved improved validation checks in the image parser.

MitigationApply the available security updates (iOS 16.7.5/17.2, iPadOS 16.7.5/17.2, watchOS 10.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.3, Ventura 13.6.4, Sonoma 14.2) to affected devices. This is a client-side vulnerability requiring user interaction to process a crafted image.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:> 16.0, < 16.7.5> 17.0, < 17.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:> 16.0, < 16.7.5> 17.0, < 17.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0, < 12.7.3>= 13.0, < 13.6.4>= 14.0, < 14.2
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 10.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version, or run 'nsurlsessiond --version' via Terminal on a Mac with the device connected, or check via Apple Configurator or MDM profile
    Affected if Version is greater than 16.0 and less than 16.7.5, OR greater than 17.0 and less than 17.2
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version, or check via Apple Configurator or MDM profile
    Affected if Version is greater than 16.0 and less than 16.7.5, OR greater than 17.0 and less than 17.2
  3. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or go to System Settings > About > macOS Version
    Affected if Version is 12.0 through 12.7.2, 13.0 through 13.6.3, or 14.0 through 14.1.x (anything less than 14.2)
  4. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, or check on the Watch via Settings > General > About
    Affected if Version is any version prior to 10.2 (including all 9.x and early 10.x versions)

You are affected if any of your Apple devices run an unpatched iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or watchOS version within the vulnerable ranges listed above.

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 10.2 / 12.7.3 / 13.6.4 or later
Fixed in 10.212.7.313.6.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates (iOS 16.7.5/17.2, iPadOS 16.7.5/17.2, watchOS 10.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.3, Ventura 13.6.4, Sonoma 14.2) to affected devices. This is a client-side vulnerability requiring user interaction to process a crafted image.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.7.5+/iPadOS 16.7.5+/iOS 17.2+/iPadOS 17.2+/macOS Monterey 12.7.3+/macOS Ventura 13.6.4+/macOS Sonoma 14.2+/watchOS 10.2+

  1. Identify the device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch) that needs remediation
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for available updates
  3. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update to check for available updates
  4. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update
  5. If running iOS/iPadOS 16.x, upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 16.7.5 or later
  6. If running iOS/iPadOS 17.x, upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 17.2 or later
  7. If running macOS Monterey (12.x), upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.7.3 or later
  8. If running macOS Ventura (13.x), upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.6.4 or later
Caveat Apple OS upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes but may deprecate older applications; ensure critical apps are compatible before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados 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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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-2023-42888 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