dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42899

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.2 / 12.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.2, iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2, watchOS 10.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, tvOS 17.2, iOS 16.7.3 and iPadOS 16.7.3, macOS Monterey 12.7.2. Processing an image may lead to arbitrary code execution.

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 memory handling vulnerability in Apple's image processing subsystem allows arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted image file. The issue stems from improper memory management during image parsing and was addressed with improved memory handling controls.

MitigationApply the available security updates (iOS 17.2/16.7.3, iPadOS 17.2/16.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2/Ventura 13.6.3/Monterey 12.7.2, watchOS 10.2, tvOS 17.2) to all affected devices to remediate the 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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 16.7.3>= 17.0, < 17.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.7.3>= 17.0, < 17.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0.0, < 12.7.2>= 13.0, < 13.6.3>= 14.0, < 14.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 10.2
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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Identify your Apple device OS type
    Determine whether the device runs iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS. This CVE affects all these Apple operating systems differently.
    Affected if Device runs any of the affected Apple OS types
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Version'.
    Affected if Version is earlier than 16.7.3, or is 17.0 through 17.1.x (any version >= 17.0 but < 17.2)
  3. Check macOS version
    On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (such as 12.x, 13.x, or 14.x).
    Affected if Version is 12.0.0 through 12.7.1, 13.0 through 13.6.2, or 14.0 through 14.1.x
  4. Check tvOS or watchOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on iPhone > General > About > watchOS Version.
    Affected if tvOS version is earlier than 10.2, or watchOS version is earlier than 10.2
  5. Confirm image processing exposure
    This vulnerability is triggered when the device processes a maliciously crafted image file. The ImageIO framework (used system-wide for image parsing) is the attack vector. Any app or service that renders images is potentially vulnerable.
    Affected if Device runs an affected OS version AND processes image files from untrusted sources

You are affected if your device runs any version within the ranges: iOS/iPadOS 17.0-17.1.x or < 16.7.3; macOS 12.x before 12.7.2, 13.x before 13.6.3, or 14.x before 14.2; tvOS/watchOS before 10.2.

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 / 12.7.2 / 13.6.3 or later
Fixed in 10.212.7.213.6.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates (iOS 17.2/16.7.3, iPadOS 17.2/16.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2/Ventura 13.6.3/Monterey 12.7.2, watchOS 10.2, tvOS 17.2) to all affected devices to remediate the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS/iPadOS: 16.7.3 or 17.2+ | macOS: 12.7.2 (Monterey), 13.6.3 (Ventura), or 14.2 (Sonoma) | watchOS: 10.2+ | tvOS: 10.2+

  1. Upgrade iOS/iPadOS 16.x devices to version 16.7.3 or later
  2. Upgrade iOS/iPadOS 17.x devices to version 17.2 or later
  3. Upgrade macOS Monterey (12.x) devices to version 12.7.2 or later
  4. Upgrade macOS Ventura (13.x) devices to version 13.6.3 or later
  5. Upgrade macOS Sonoma (14.x) devices to version 14.2 or later
  6. Upgrade watchOS devices to version 10.2 or later
  7. Upgrade tvOS devices to version 10.2 or later
  8. After upgrading, verify the system version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings > About (macOS)
Caveat Standard OS update - ensure backups before upgrading; some older apps may be incompatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2023-42899 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