CVE-2023-42931VulnerabilityPublished 28 Mar 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-42931: Apple macOS · A process may gain admin privileges without proper authentication

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.3 High · fixed in 13.6.3 : patch Apple macOS soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

8.3High

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

EPSS: 1.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 67% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 13.6.3

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

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

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
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: 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: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Mar 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 2026-10-26.

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 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

AI-suggested

1. Immediately apply the security updates released by Apple: macOS Ventura 13.6.3, Sonoma 14.2, and Monterey 12.7.2 or later. 2. Enforce strict endpoint management policies to ensure all macOS devices are updated and monitored. 3. Limit user privileges by enforcing the principle of least privilege, restricting administrative rights to only necessary personnel. 4. Implement robust user awareness training to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that could trigger user interaction required for exploitation. 5. Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting unusual privilege escalation attempts. 6. Regularly audit macOS systems for unauthorized administrative accounts or unexpected privilege changes. 7. Employ network segmentation to limit the impact of compromised macOS devices on critical infrastructure. 8. Monitor logs for signs of exploitation attempts, especially those involving privilege escalation or authentication bypass. 9. Consider deploying application control or whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code. 10. Maintain an incident response plan that includes procedures for macOS-specific vulnerabilities and privilege escalation incidents.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.6.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2, macOS Monterey 12.7.2. A process may gain admin privileges without proper authentication.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant threat as it allows attackers to gain administrative privileges on macOS systems without proper authentication. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification or deletion of critical files, and potential deployment of further malware or ransomware. The confidentiality and integrity of organizational data are at high risk, especially in sectors relying on macOS for critical operations such as finance, healthcare, and government. Although availability impact is limited, the ability to escalate privileges can facilitate persistent footholds and lateral movement within networks. The requirement for user interaction slightly reduces the risk but does not eliminate it, as social engineering or phishing could trigger exploitation. Organizations with remote or hybrid workforces using macOS devices are particularly vulnerable. Failure to patch promptly could result in targeted attacks exploiting this flaw, potentially affecting compliance with European data protection regulations such as GDPR.

CWE-280Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A10:2025: Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions (opens in a new tab)
The product does not handle or incorrectly handles when it has insufficient privileges to access resources or functionality as specified by their permissions. This may cause it to follow unexpected code paths that may leave the product in an invalid state.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
Implementation
Always check to see if you have successfully accessed a resource or system functionality, and use proper error handling if it is unsuccessful. Do this even when you are operating in a highly privileged mode, because errors or environmental conditions might still cause a failure.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Logging (opens in a new tab)
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2025, 20:04 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-280

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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