dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42904

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.2 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
Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.2. Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination or 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

Memory corruption vulnerability in macOS Sonoma allows arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted files. The issue was addressed through improved input validation, suggesting improper bounds checking or insufficient validation during file parsing operations.

MitigationApply macOS Sonoma 14.2 or later security update to patch the memory corruption 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:>= 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
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. Check the installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version shows 14.0 or 14.1.x (any version starting with 14.0 or 14.1)
  2. Confirm the macOS release name
    Run: uname -a or check System Settings > About to verify the system is macOS Sonoma
    Affected if The system is macOS Sonoma (version 14.x)
  3. Identify vulnerable file processing components
    Review which applications on the system handle file parsing, particularly third-party apps that process external files
    Affected if Applications that parse files from untrusted sources are present and actively used

The system is affected if it runs macOS Sonoma version 14.0 or 14.1.x, as the memory corruption vulnerability exists in these versions when processing maliciously crafted files.

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 14.2 or later
Fixed in 14.2
Interim mitigation

Apply macOS Sonoma 14.2 or later security update to patch the memory corruption vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.2

  1. Check the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu > About This Mac
  2. Back up important data using Time Machine or another backup solution before updating
  3. Open System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. Click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to install macOS Sonoma 14.2
  5. Restart the Mac when prompted to complete the installation
  6. Verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac shows version 14.2
Caveat Standard macOS update risks apply; verify critical third-party applications are compatible with 14.2 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
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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-2023-42904 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