macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42945

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.1. An app may gain unauthorized access to Bluetooth.

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

A permissions issue in macOS allowed an application to gain unauthorized access to Bluetooth, potentially enabling a malicious app to interact with Bluetooth devices without proper user consent. The vulnerability was addressed through additional restrictions implemented in macOS Sonoma 14.1.

MitigationUpdate to macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later to receive the permissions fix. Verify that Bluetooth access prompts appear for applications and review application permissions in System Settings.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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. Check installed macOS version
    Go to Apple menu > About This Mac or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal
    Affected if The version shows 14.0 (macOS Sonoma initial release) - this is the only affected version
  2. Verify Bluetooth access prompts behavior
    Observe whether applications prompt for Bluetooth permission when first accessing Bluetooth features
    Affected if On macOS 14.0, applications may access Bluetooth without generating user consent prompts (the vulnerability condition)

You are affected only if your macOS version is exactly 14.0; versions 14.1 and later include the fix and are not vulnerable.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update to macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later to receive the permissions fix. Verify that Bluetooth access prompts appear for applications and review application permissions in System Settings.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before performing the system update
  2. Connect your Mac to power to ensure the update is not interrupted
  3. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older interfaces)
  4. Click on General in the sidebar
  5. Click on Software Update
  6. Allow macOS to check for available updates
  7. If macOS Sonoma 14.1 or later is available, click Update Now or Download & Install
  8. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update
Caveat Standard macOS update risks apply: ensure backups exist, updates may take time, some legacy software may need updates for compatibility

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2023-42945 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