VulnerabilityPublished 21 Feb 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-42835: Apple macOS · An attacker may be able to access user data

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium : upgrade to 14.1 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 30% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 14.1

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 21 Feb 2024
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 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 macOS to 14.1.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple macOS	Affected <14.1	Fixed in 14.1

AI-suggested

Immediately update all macOS devices to version Sonoma 14.1 or later to apply the official patch addressing this vulnerability.
Enforce strict local access controls, including strong authentication and least privilege principles, to minimize the risk of unauthorized local access.
Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of monitoring and alerting on suspicious local activities that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Conduct regular audits of user accounts and permissions on macOS systems to detect and remediate unnecessary privileges.
Educate users and administrators about the risks of local access vulnerabilities and encourage prompt reporting of suspicious behavior.
For organizations with sensitive data, consider additional encryption of user data at rest and in use to reduce exposure in case of unauthorized access.
Maintain an incident response plan that includes procedures for handling potential data access incidents on macOS endpoints. 8.

Description

A logic issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.1. An attacker may be able to access user data.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-42835 is the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user data on macOS devices. This could include personal information, credentials, or proprietary data stored or accessible on affected systems. Organizations with macOS endpoints in corporate environments, especially those handling sensitive or regulated data, face increased risk of data breaches. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation, but insider threats or attackers who gain initial footholds through other means could exploit this vulnerability to escalate data access. This could undermine confidentiality commitments under GDPR and other data protection regulations, leading to legal and reputational consequences. Additionally, sectors such as finance, technology, and government agencies in Europe that rely on macOS for critical operations may experience targeted exploitation attempts. The absence of integrity or availability impact reduces the risk of system disruption but does not diminish the importance of protecting sensitive data confidentiality.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 20:14 UTC

Technical details

References

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