Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-32401

Memory Safety in Apple Macos ≤ 11.7.7

Published
10 January 2024
Modified
16 June 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0023 14th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-32401 is a high-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in Apple Macos. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, ranked at the 14th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A buffer overflow was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.6.6, macOS Big Sur 11.7.7, macOS Ventura 13.4. Parsing an office document may lead to an unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

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CVE-2023-28209Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2023-28212Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2023-27968Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2023-28211Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2025-24266Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2025-43312Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2024-54568Same product: Apple Macos

Affected Assets

apple
macos
≤ 11.7.7 · 12.0.0 — 12.6.6 · 13.0 — 13.4

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.2.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-120

Platform-independent managed code eliminates the need for unchecked native buffer copies that are the root cause of classic buffer overflows.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.

detects

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.

References