dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42959

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.0 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
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
A race condition was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

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 race condition in macOS kernel allows a malicious application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level access. The vulnerability was addressed through improved state handling in the kernel.

MitigationApply macOS Sonoma 14 or later security update to patch the kernel race condition 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

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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 Apple menu > About This Mac
    Affected if Version is lower than 14.0 (Sonoma)
  2. Confirm kernel patch status
    Check macOS Security Updates or run 'uname -a' to verify kernel version; for full certainty, cross-reference with Apple security update KB pages for CVE-2023-42959
    Affected if Kernel remains unpatched on any macOS version below 14.0

If macOS version is below 14.0 and has not received the specific security update for this CVE, the system is vulnerable to kernel privilege escalation.

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

Apply macOS Sonoma 14 or later security update to patch the kernel race condition vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Sonoma 14.0

  1. 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before upgrading
  2. 2. Ensure your Mac is connected to a stable power source
  3. 3. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
  4. 4. Click on General in the sidebar
  5. 5. Click Software Update
  6. 6. Wait for macOS Sonoma 14 to appear as an available update
  7. 7. Click Download and Install to begin the upgrade process
  8. 8. Follow the on-screen instructions and allow the installation to complete
Caveat macOS Sonoma 14 requires compatible hardware (2018 or newer Macs); some older apps may not be compatible

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-2023-42959 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