dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42929

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.0 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
The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14. An app may be able to access protected user data.

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 · moderate confidence

This macOS vulnerability allowed an application to bypass authorization checks and access protected user data. The fix in macOS Sonoma 14 implemented improved validation logic to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive user information.

MitigationOrganizations should ensure all macOS systems are updated to Sonoma 14 or later to receive the security patch.

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

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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
    Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, select 'About This Mac', and note the version number displayed under the macOS name
    Affected if The displayed version number is less than 14.0 (for example, 13.x, 12.x, or earlier)
  2. Confirm the macOS release name
    In 'About This Mac', note the release name shown (such as Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, etc.)
    Affected if The release name is anything other than Sonoma, indicating the system is on an older macOS version

You are affected if your Mac runs any macOS version earlier than Sonoma 14.0, which can be verified by checking About This Mac.

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 14.0 or later
Fixed in 14.0
Interim mitigation

Organizations should ensure all macOS systems are updated to Sonoma 14 or later to receive the security patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.0

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before proceeding with the update
  2. Verify your current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu > About This Mac
  3. Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.0 or later by going to System Settings > General > Software Update
  4. If prompted, restart your Mac to complete the installation
  5. Verify the update was successful by checking the macOS version in About This Mac
Caveat Major OS upgrades may introduce compatibility issues with older applications; verify critical software compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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-2023-42929 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