CVE-2023-42884 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apple iOS and iPadOS operating systems, as well as related platforms such as macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, tvOS 17.2, and earlier iOS/iPadOS versions prior to 17.2 and 16.7.3 respectively. The vulnerability arises from insufficient redaction of sensitive information, allowing a malicious application to potentially disclose kernel memory contents. Kernel memory disclosure can reveal sensitive data such as cryptographic keys, system internals, or other protected information that should not be accessible to user-level applications. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor). The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.5 (medium), with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), no integrity impact (I:N), and no availability impact (A:N). This means an attacker must have local access and trick a user into interacting with a malicious app to exploit the flaw. Exploitation does not require prior privileges, but it does require user interaction. The flaw was addressed by Apple through improved redaction techniques in the kernel memory disclosure path, and patches are available in the specified OS versions. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and the affected versions are unspecified but presumably all versions prior to the patched releases. This vulnerability could be leveraged by attackers to gain sensitive kernel memory information, which might facilitate further attacks such as privilege escalation or bypassing security mechanisms, although direct integrity or availability impacts are not present.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-42884 depends largely on the prevalence of Apple devices within their environment. Organizations with significant deployment of iPhones, iPads, or Macs running vulnerable OS versions could face risks of sensitive kernel memory disclosure if users install malicious applications or are tricked into interacting with them. This could lead to leakage of sensitive system information, potentially aiding attackers in crafting more sophisticated attacks or gaining unauthorized access. Sectors with high security requirements such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure could be particularly concerned about confidentiality breaches. However, since exploitation requires local access and user interaction, the risk is somewhat mitigated compared to remote vulnerabilities. Still, targeted attacks or insider threats could exploit this vulnerability to gather kernel-level information. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits post-disclosure. Organizations relying on Apple devices should prioritize patching to prevent potential exploitation and protect sensitive data confidentiality.

1. Immediate deployment of Apple’s security updates: Organizations should ensure all iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS devices are updated to the patched versions (iOS/iPadOS 17.2 or 16.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, tvOS 17.2). 2. Restrict installation of untrusted or third-party applications: Enforce policies to limit app installation to trusted sources such as the Apple App Store and use Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to control app permissions. 3. Educate users about social engineering risks: Since user interaction is required, training users to recognize and avoid suspicious apps or prompts reduces exploitation likelihood. 4. Monitor device behavior for anomalies: Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of monitoring iOS/macOS devices for unusual activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Implement least privilege principles: Limit user privileges on Apple devices to reduce the potential impact of local attacks. 6. Regularly audit device OS versions and patch status: Maintain an inventory of Apple devices and ensure timely patch management to reduce exposure windows. 7. For high-security environments, consider additional sandboxing or application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized app execution.