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Ipad OsOperating system · Apple

CVE-2023-42974

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.7.2 / 13.6.3 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 Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2, iOS 16.7.3 and iPadOS 16.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2. 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 kernel state handling allows a malicious application to escalate privileges to kernel level and execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability exists in multiple Apple operating systems and was addressed through improved state management in the patched versions.

MitigationApply the appropriate operating system update: macOS Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2, iOS/iPadOS 17.2, or iOS/iPadOS 16.7.3 depending on the target device.

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
Ipad OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.7.3
IpadosOperating system
Affected:>= 17.0, < 17.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.7.3>= 17.0, < 17.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0, < 12.7.2>= 13.0, < 13.6.3>= 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
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. Identify the Apple operating system product
    Run 'sw_vers -productName' on macOS to confirm whether the system is running macOS, iOS, or iPadOS. For iOS/iPadOS devices, check manually via Settings > General > About.
    Affected if The device runs macOS, iOS, or iPadOS and matches the product versions listed in the CVE.
  2. Determine the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' to retrieve the exact version number (for example, 13.6, 14.1.2).
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 12.0 to 12.7.1 inclusive, 13.0 to 13.6.2 inclusive, or 14.0 to 14.1.x inclusive.
  3. Compare the macOS version against the affected ranges
    Compare the version from step 2 to the vulnerable ranges: 12.x versions below 12.7.2, 13.x versions below 13.6.3, and 14.x versions below 14.2.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 12.7.2 (for macOS 12.x), less than 13.6.3 (for macOS 13.x), or less than 14.2 (for macOS 14.x).
  4. Determine the iOS or iPadOS version
    On the iOS/iPadOS device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number (for example, 17.1).
    Affected if The version is less than 16.7.3, or falls between 17.0 and 17.1.x inclusive.

A system is affected if it runs macOS 12.x prior to 12.7.2, macOS 13.x prior to 13.6.3, macOS 14.x prior to 14.2, iOS/iPadOS prior to 16.7.3, or iOS/iPadOS 17.0 through 17.1.x.

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 12.7.2 / 13.6.3 / 14.2 or later
Fixed in 12.7.213.6.314.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate operating system update: macOS Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2, iOS/iPadOS 17.2, or iOS/iPadOS 16.7.3 depending on the target device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.7.3 / iOS 17.2 / iPadOS 16.7.3 / iPadOS 17.2 / macOS 12.7.2 / macOS 13.6.3 / macOS 14.2

  1. Check current iOS/iPadOS version: Go to Settings > General > Software Update
  2. For iOS/iPadOS 16.x devices: Update to iOS/iPadOS 16.7.3 via Settings > General > Software Update
  3. For iOS/iPadOS 17.x devices: Update to iOS/iPadOS 17.2 via Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For macOS Monterey (12.x): Update to 12.7.2 via System Settings > Software Update
  5. For macOS Ventura (13.x): Update to 13.6.3 via System Settings > Software Update
  6. For macOS Sonoma (14.x): Update to 14.2 via System Settings > Software Update
  7. Restart the device after applying the update
Caveat Standard Apple OS updates may include UI changes; backup device before updating

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

Fix this in Ipad Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

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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-2023-42974 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