Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-41993

Fedoraproject Fedora 37 … 39

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD Exploited
Published
21 September 2023
Modified
05 November 2025
KEV Added
25 September 2023
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.29 98th percentile
Risk Priority 90 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-41993 is a high-severity Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (CWE-754) vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Service Stop (T1489); ranked in the top 2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

The vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-41993 stems from insufficient validation checks when processing web content and is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14. The flaw affects Apple platforms that handle web content, with Apple confirming active exploitation against iOS versions prior to iOS 16.7. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 and is associated with CWE-754.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can supply malicious web content that a user is tricked into processing, resulting in arbitrary code execution with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. The attack requires user interaction but no privileges and can be delivered over the network.

Apple addressed the issue through improved checks in macOS Sonoma 14, with corresponding updates referenced in security advisories such as HT213940. Third-party vendors including Gentoo and NetApp have published related guidance pointing users to the vendor patches.

Apple has stated that the vulnerability was exploited in the wild against older iOS releases, and the associated EPSS score has reached a peak of 0.2489 with a current value of 0.2417.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14. Processing web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions…

more

of iOS before iOS 16.7.

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
25 September 2023

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1489 Service Stop Impact
Adversaries may stop or disable services on a system to render those services unavailable to legitimate users.
T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service Impact
Adversaries may perform Endpoint Denial of Service (DoS) attacks to degrade or block the availability of services to users.
T1499.004 Application or System Exploitation Impact
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities that can cause an application or system to crash and deny availability to users.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-50602Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-41992Same product: Apple Ipadosboth on KEV
CVE-2021-39144Same product: Debian Debian Linuxboth on KEV
CVE-2025-13392Same product class: NAS / storage appliance
CVE-2020-11023Same product: Debian Debian Linuxboth on KEV
CVE-2020-1938Same product: Debian Debian Linuxboth on KEV
CVE-2017-5638Same product class: NAS / storage applianceboth on KEV
CVE-2021-41773Same product: Fedoraproject Fedoraboth on KEV
CVE-2023-22006Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-22045Same product: Debian Debian Linux

Affected Assets

apple
ipados
≤ 17.0.1
apple
iphone os
≤ 17.0.1
apple
macos
≤ 14.0
fedoraproject
fedora
37, 38, 39
debian
debian linux
11.0, 12.0
oracle
graalvm
20.3.13, 21.3.9
oracle
jdk
1.8.0
oracle
jre
1.8.0
netapp
active iq unified manager
all versions
netapp
cloud insights acquisition unit
all versions
+4 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 7 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

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-754

Requires detection and response to audit logging failures as an unusual or exceptional condition.

addresses: CWE-754

Implements detection of unusual or exceptional conditions followed by safe mode entry, reducing the window for exploitation of unchecked conditions.

addresses: CWE-754

Training ensures users perform required checks for unusual or exceptional conditions as part of contingency roles, limiting attacker leverage from skipped validations.

addresses: CWE-754

IR testing directly validates checks for unusual or exceptional conditions that could indicate security incidents.

addresses: CWE-754

Requires ongoing monitoring of organization-defined metrics and analysis, enabling checks for unusual or exceptional conditions.

addresses: CWE-754

Security testing routinely checks for unusual or exceptional inputs/conditions, identifying missing validation steps that flaw remediation then resolves.

addresses: CWE-754

Requires detection of unusual conditions followed by a controlled transition to the defined failure state.

addresses: CWE-754

MTTF determination forces explicit checks for conditions that precede predictable component failure.

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 require proper checks and handling for exceptional conditions throughout the SDLC.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and environments can detect adverse events triggered by unhandled exceptional conditions.

PR.PS-04 partial match
prevents

Generating logs of exceptions and errors enables detection of improper handling of unusual conditions.

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.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance verifies handling of error and exceptional conditions.

A.8.15 Logging partial match
finds

Logging can record unhandled exceptions but does not prevent the weakness itself.

finds

Monitoring may detect symptoms of unhandled conditions but does not eliminate the root weakness.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates exception handling and input validation that directly prevent missing checks for unusual conditions.

prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for handling of exceptional conditions and error paths.

prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles require robust error and exception handling mechanisms.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (2 rules)
  • V-248574 YUM must be configured to prevent the installation of patches, service packs, device drivers, or OL 8 system components that have not been digitally signed using a certificate that is recognized and approved by the organization. prevents CWE-754
  • V-248575 OL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. prevents CWE-754
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
  • V-271452 OL 9 must use a Linux Security Module configured to enforce limits on system services. prevents CWE-754

References