Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-42873

Memory Safety in Apple Macos 12.0 – 12.7.1

Published
21 February 2024
Modified
04 November 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 0.0022 13th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-42873 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Apple Macos. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, ranked at the 13th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.1, tvOS 17.1, macOS Monterey 12.7.1, iOS 16.7.2 and iPadOS 16.7.2, iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1, macOS Ventura 13.6.1. An app may be able to…

more

execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-23270Same product: Apple Ipad Os
CVE-2024-23226Same product: Apple Ipad Os
CVE-2023-42848Same product: Apple Ipad Os
CVE-2021-30883Same product: Apple Iphone Os
CVE-2024-54523Same product: Apple Iphone Os
CVE-2024-54517Same product: Apple Iphone Os
CVE-2022-22675Same product: Apple Iphone Os
CVE-2021-30665Same product: Apple Iphone Os
CVE-2023-38604Same product: Apple Iphone Os
CVE-2024-54522Same product: Apple Iphone Os

Affected Assets

apple
ipad os
≤ 17.1 · 16.0 — 16.7.2
apple
iphone os
≤ 17.1 · 16.0 — 16.7.2
apple
macos
14.0 · 12.0 — 12.7.1 · 13.0 — 13.6.1
apple
tvos
≤ 17.1

Mitigating Controls

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-787

Out-of-bounds writes that corrupt control flow or inject shellcode are rendered non-executable by the same memory protections.

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 (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.

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.

detects

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.

prevents

Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.

References