dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42892

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.7.2 / 13.6.3 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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
A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.6.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.2. A local attacker may be able to elevate their privileges.

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

A use-after-free vulnerability in macOS allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The issue was addressed through improved memory management in the affected component.

MitigationApply the macOS security update (Ventura 13.6.3, Sonoma 14.2, or Monterey 12.7.2) to all affected 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
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0, < 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 to 12.7.1, 13.0 to 13.6.2, or 14.0 to 14.1.x (any version below 12.7.2, 13.6.3, or 14.2)

Your system is affected if the macOS version returned is less than 12.7.2, 13.6.3, or 14.2 depending on which major release you are running.

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 macOS security update (Ventura 13.6.3, Sonoma 14.2, or Monterey 12.7.2) to all affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 12.7.2 (Monterey), 13.6.3 (Ventura), or 14.2 (Sonoma) depending on current version

  1. Identify the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup solution before upgrading
  3. For macOS Monterey (12.x) users: Upgrade to macOS 12.7.2 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For macOS Ventura (13.x) users: Upgrade to macOS 13.6.3 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  5. For macOS Sonoma (14.x) users: Upgrade to macOS 14.2 or later via System Settings > General > Software Update
  6. Restart the system after the update completes
  7. Verify the update was successful by checking the macOS version in About This Mac
Caveat Standard macOS upgrade considerations apply - verify third-party software compatibility and back up data before proceeding

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,330
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,728.

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-2023-42892 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