dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42909

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

This is a memory corruption vulnerability in macOS file processing components. Insufficient input validation when parsing maliciously crafted files allows attackers to trigger buffer overflows or similar memory corruption, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution with user-level privileges.

MitigationApply macOS Sonoma 14.2 or later security update. Until patched, avoid opening files from untrusted sources.

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 installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to System Settings > About to view the macOS version
    Affected if The version is 14.0 or 14.1 (macOS Sonoma)
  2. Confirm file processing component exposure
    Determine if the system regularly processes files from external or untrusted sources, such as email attachments, downloaded files, or media from external devices
    Affected if The system handles files from untrusted or external sources without verification

You are affected if macOS version is 14.0 or 14.1 (Sonoma) and you process files from untrusted sources

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. Until patched, avoid opening files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.2

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before performing system updates
  2. Go to System Settings (System Preferences on older macOS versions)
  3. Click on General in the sidebar
  4. Click on Software Update
  5. Allow macOS to check for available updates
  6. If macOS Sonoma 14.2 is available, click Update Now or Download and Install
  7. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
  8. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the update

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42909 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-42909 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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