dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42891

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.7.2 / 13.6.3 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
An authentication issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, macOS Monterey 12.7.2. An app may be able to monitor keystrokes without user permission.

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 confidence

This macOS vulnerability allows an application to monitor keystrokes without proper user authorization due to an authentication flaw in state management. The issue stems from insufficient validation of authentication states, enabling a malicious or compromised app to bypass permission checks and capture keyboard input.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update: Monterey 12.7.2, Ventura 13.6.3, or Sonoma 14.2 and later to remediate the keystroke monitoring vulnerability.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0.0, < 12.7.2>= 13.0, < 13.6.3>= 14.0, < 14.2

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 installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if Version is 12.0.0 through 12.7.1, 13.0 through 13.6.2, or 14.0 through 14.1
  2. Confirm macOS name and build
    Run: sw_vers and note the product name (Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma) and full version string
    Affected if Running Monterey <12.7.2, Ventura <13.6.3, or Sonoma <14.2
  3. Check for recent security updates
    Open System Settings > General > Software Update and check if all available security updates are installed
    Affected if Security updates are not installed and version falls within affected ranges
  4. Verify Accessibility permissions state
    Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility and review which apps have permission - the vulnerability allows bypassing this check
    Affected if The version is vulnerable regardless of permissions state (the flaw bypasses authorization itself)

You are affected if your macOS version is 12.0.0-12.7.1, 13.0-13.6.2, or 14.0-14.1 and you have not applied the corresponding security update.

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 12.7.2 / 13.6.3 / 14.2 or later
Fixed in 12.7.213.6.314.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update: Monterey 12.7.2, Ventura 13.6.3, or Sonoma 14.2 and later to remediate the keystroke monitoring vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, or macOS Sonoma 14.2 depending on your current major version

  1. Identify your current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current version: Monterey (12.x) users go to 12.7.2, Ventura (13.x) users go to 13.6.3, Sonoma (14.0-14.1) users go to 14.2
  3. Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup method before performing the update
  4. Open System Settings and navigate to General > Software Update
  5. Click Check for Update and install the available security update
  6. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
  7. Verify the update installed correctly by checking About This Mac to confirm the version matches the fixed release
Caveat Security updates typically have low breaking change risk, but verify app compatibility with the new macOS version before updating production systems

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,270
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,032.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-42891 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