VulnerabilityPublished 26 Jul 2023Updated 30 Oct 2025

CVE-2023-38606: Apple tvOS · An app may be able to modify sensitive kernel state

Affects Apple tvOSSource CVE Database V5

Exploited in the wild · KEV due 16 Aug 2023 · 2% EPSS : upgrade to 15.7.1 now.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

KEV deadline: 16 Aug 2023 US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else. Other KEV due dates
EPSS: 2.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 86% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 15.7.1

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: High
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 Jul 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: evidence found.
Listed in CISA KEV the same day as disclosure
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

CVE ID reserved
by Apple Inc.
20 Jul 202315:04 UTC, 6 days before disclosure
CVE published
on cve.org
26 Jul 202323:55 UTC, t = 0
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed
26 Jul 2023, the same day as disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
16 Aug 2023, 21 days after disclosure

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CISA KEV (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Apple tvOS to 15.7.1.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple tvOS	Affected <15.7.1	Fixed in 15.7.1

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Description

This issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.6.8, iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, macOS Ventura 13.5, watchOS 9.6. An app may be able to modify sensitive kernel state. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.7.1.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-38606 centers on the potential compromise of system integrity on Apple devices, including Apple TVs, iPhones, iPads, and Macs running vulnerable OS versions. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could modify kernel state, potentially enabling privilege escalation, unauthorized code execution, or persistence mechanisms that evade detection. This could lead to unauthorized changes in system behavior, undermining trust in device security and potentially facilitating further attacks such as data manipulation or lateral movement within networks. Organizations relying on Apple devices for critical business functions, secure communications, or infrastructure management may face increased risk of operational disruption or data integrity breaches. The lack of confidentiality and availability impact reduces the risk of data leakage or denial of service, but the integrity compromise alone is significant for sectors like finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. The active exploitation reports prior to patching highlight the urgency for European entities to address this vulnerability promptly to prevent targeted attacks.

Mitigation

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Immediately deploy the security updates released by Apple for all affected devices, including iOS 15.7.8 or later, iOS 16.6 or later, tvOS 16.6, macOS versions 11.7.9, 12.6.8, and 13.5, and watchOS 9.6. 2) Enforce strict app installation policies restricting devices to only install apps from trusted sources such as the Apple App Store, and consider using Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to control app permissions and installations. 3) Monitor device logs and kernel integrity metrics for unusual behavior or unauthorized changes indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Educate users and administrators about the risks of installing untrusted applications and the importance of timely updates. 5) For organizations using Apple TV devices in enterprise or public environments, ensure devices are updated and access is controlled to prevent local attackers from gaining physical or network access. 6) Implement network segmentation and endpoint detection to limit the impact of any compromised device. 7) Regularly audit device OS versions and patch compliance to maintain security posture.

References

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Exploitation evidence

Timeline

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 31 Oct 2025, 04:35 UTC

Technical details

References

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