CVE-2023-41979: Apple macOS · An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited : upgrade to 14 soon.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 21:44 UTC
Rated High by the CNA (apple) · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 14
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 Sep 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: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.
What to do
Upgrade apple/macos to 14.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Appleapple/macospkg:deb/apple/macosOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14 or later, where this vulnerability has been fixed with improved locking. No additional mitigation is required once the system is updated.
Description
CVE-2023-41979 is a vulnerability in Apple macOS where a race condition could allow an application to modify protected parts of the file system. This issue has been addressed by improved locking mechanisms and is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.