dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42896

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
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 issue was addressed with improved handling of temporary files. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2, iOS 16.7.3 and iPadOS 16.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2. An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.

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

A vulnerability in temporary file handling allowed a malicious or compromised application to bypass macOS/iOS file system protection mechanisms and modify protected parts of the file system, effectively enabling a sandbox escape or privilege escalation.

MitigationUpdate affected Apple devices to macOS Monterey 12.7.2+, Ventura 13.6.3+, Sonoma 14.2+, iOS 16.7.3+, or iOS 17.2+ to receive the patch for improved temporary file handling.

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:< 16.7.3>= 17.0, < 17.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.7.3>= 17.0, < 17.2
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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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. Determine the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal on macOS
    Affected if The version is 12.0 to 12.7.1, 13.0 to 13.6.2, or 14.0 to 14.1.x (any build below 14.2)
  2. Determine the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS, or run 'sw_vers -productVersion' if checking via Apple Configurator or MDM
    Affected if The version is 16.7.0 to 16.7.2, 17.0 to 17.1.x (any build below 17.2), or any version below 16.7.3 on the 16.x branch
  3. Verify the Security Update build number (macOS)
    Run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' or check System Settings > General > About > System Report for the Build version
    Affected if The Security Update build is earlier than the fixed builds for your macOS release (12.7.2, 13.6.3, or 14.2)
  4. Confirm the vulnerable temporary file subsystem is in use
    This vulnerability affects the temporary file handling in the kernel or system frameworks; no specific config toggle exists - the flaw is present in unpatched OS versions
    Affected if Running an unpatched version of macOS or iOS/iPadOS within the affected ranges

You are affected if your device runs any macOS version 12.0-12.7.1, 13.0-13.6.2, or 14.0-14.1.x, or any iOS/iPadOS version 16.7.0-16.7.2 or 17.0-17.1.x.

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

Update affected Apple devices to macOS Monterey 12.7.2+, Ventura 13.6.3+, Sonoma 14.2+, iOS 16.7.3+, or iOS 17.2+ to receive the patch for improved temporary file handling.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2, iOS 16.7.3, iPadOS 16.7.3, iOS 17.2, or iPadOS 17.2 depending on current version

  1. 1. Identify the current operating system version on the affected device (iOS, iPadOS, or macOS)
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on the current version
  3. 3. Back up important data before performing the update
  4. 4. Install the security update via Settings > General > Software Update (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > General > Software Update (macOS)
Caveat Standard OS update risks - review release notes for any feature changes before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.

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-2023-42896 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