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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2023-42891: Apple macOS · An app may be able to monitor keystrokes without user permission

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 14.2 : patch Apple macOS soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity
High

Rated High by the CNA (apple) · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

EPSS
0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 25% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 14.2, 13.6.3, 12.7.2

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 12 Dec 2023

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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.

What to do

Upgrade apple/macos to 14.2, 13.6.3 or 12.7.2.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Appleapple/macospkg:deb/apple/macosOther threatsAffected
  • <14.2
  • <13.6.3
  • <12.7.2
Fixed in
  • 14.2
  • 13.6.3
  • 12.7.2

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Apple has released official fixes for this vulnerability in macOS Sonoma 14.2, Ventura 13.6.3, and Monterey 12.7.2. Users and administrators should update their systems to these versions or later to remediate the issue. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

CVE-2023-42891 is a vulnerability in Apple macOS that allowed an app to monitor keystrokes without obtaining user permission. The issue was due to an authentication problem related to state management. Apple fixed this vulnerability in macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, and macOS Monterey 12.7.2.

References

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