CVE-2023-42983
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 · uneditedProcessing a file may lead to a denial-of-service or potentially disclose memory contents. This issue is fixed in macOS 14. The issue was addressed with improved checks.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in macOS file processing allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially disclose memory contents via specially crafted files. The issue was addressed through improved input validation checks.
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< 14.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version is below 14.0 (e.g., 13.x, 12.x, 11.x, etc.)
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Check if system processes untrusted filesReview which applications or services on the system accept file input from external or untrusted sources, such as email attachments, downloaded files, or file sharing servicesAffected if The system regularly opens, previews, or processes files from untrusted or unknown sources without manual scrutiny
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Identify file processing services runningRun: ps aux | grep -E '(file|disk|preview)' to list processes that handle file operations, and check Activity Monitor for any third-party file processing utilitiesAffected if Third-party or built-in file processing services are running that handle untrusted file types
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Check for file quarantine awarenessInspect whether Gatekeeper and file quarantine are active by checking: spctl --status and defaults read com.apple.LaunchServices | grep -i quarantineAffected if File quarantine or Gatekeeper protections are disabled, allowing unvetted files to execute processing
A user is affected if their macOS version is below 14.0 and the system processes untrusted or specially crafted files through built-in file handling components.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped14.0
Upgrade to macOS 14 or later. Until then, avoid processing untrusted files.
macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
- Back up important data before starting the upgrade process
- Upgrade to macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later by going to System Settings > General > Software Update
- Restart the system if prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the macOS version in System Settings > General > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42983 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-42983 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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