CVE-2023-42905
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 · uneditedMultiple 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 confidenceThis is a memory corruption vulnerability in macOS where processing a maliciously crafted file leads to improper memory handling. The flaw was addressed through improved input validation, preventing the ability to trigger the memory corruption through specially crafted files.
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>= 14.0, < 14.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or go to Apple menu > About This Mac > GeneralAffected if Version shows 14.0 or 14.1.x (meaning version is >= 14.0 but < 14.2)
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Confirm file processing exposureDetermine if the system routinely opens files from email attachments, downloads, or external sources without validationAffected if The system runs an affected macOS version AND processes files from untrusted or unknown sources
A system is affected if it runs macOS 14.0 or 14.1.x and can be tricked into processing a specially crafted malicious file.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped14.2
Apply the macOS Sonoma 14.2 or later security update to resolve the vulnerability. Avoid opening files from untrusted sources until the patch is deployed.
macOS Sonoma 14.2
- 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before proceeding with the update.
- 2. Connect your Mac to power to ensure the update process is not interrupted.
- 3. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
- 4. Click on General in the sidebar, then click Software Update.
- 5. Wait for macOS to check for available updates.
- 6. If macOS Sonoma 14.2 is available, click Update Now to download and install the update.
- 7. Follow the on-screen prompts and allow the installation to complete. Your Mac may restart during this process.
- 8. After installation completes, verify the installed version by clicking the Apple menu > About This Mac > macOS. The version should show 14.2.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42905 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-42905 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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