CVE-2023-23520
Status: ModifiedMedium (5.9)—
A race condition was addressed with additional validation. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.3, tvOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3. A user may be able to read arbitrary files as root.
CVSS
- Version: 3.1
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- Base score: 5.9
Exploitation probability (EPSS)
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.81%
- Percentile among all scored CVEs: 56
- Score date: 10/9/2026
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
Affected technologies (3)
CWEs
- CWE-367
- CWE-367
References
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213599
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213601
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213605
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213606
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213599
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213601
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213605
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213606
Raw JSON (NVD)
Show
{
"id": "CVE-2023-23520",
"cveTags": [],
"metrics": {
"ssvcV203": [
{
"source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
"ssvcData": {
"id": "CVE-2023-23520",
"role": "CISA Coordinator",
"options": [
{
"exploitation": "none"
},
{
"automatable": "no"
},
{
"technicalImpact": "partial"
}
],
"version": "2.0.3",
"timestamp": "2025-03-11T17:21:19.228691Z"
}
}
],
"cvssMetricV31": [
{
"type": "Primary",
"source": "nvd@nist.gov",
"cvssData": {
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"version": "3.1",
"baseScore": 5.9,
"attackVector": "NETWORK",
"baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N",
"integrityImpact": "NONE",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"attackComplexity": "HIGH",
"availabilityImpact": "NONE",
"privilegesRequired": "NONE",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH"
},
"impactScore": 3.6,
"exploitabilityScore": 2.2
},
{
"type": "Secondary",
"source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
"cvssData": {
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"version": "3.1",
"baseScore": 5.9,
"attackVector": "NETWORK",
"baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N",
"integrityImpact": "NONE",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"attackComplexity": "HIGH",
"availabilityImpact": "NONE",
"privilegesRequired": "NONE",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH"
},
"impactScore": 3.6,
"exploitabilityScore": 2.2
}
]
},
"affected": [
{
"source": "product-security@apple.com",
"affectedData": [
{
"vendor": "Apple",
"product": "iOS and iPadOS",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "unspecified",
"lessThan": "16.3",
"versionType": "custom"
}
]
},
{
"vendor": "Apple",
"product": "tvOS",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "unspecified",
"lessThan": "16.3",
"versionType": "custom"
}
]
},
{
"vendor": "Apple",
"product": "macOS",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "unspecified",
"lessThan": "13.2",
"versionType": "custom"
}
]
},
{
"vendor": "Apple",
"product": "watchOS",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "unspecified",
"lessThan": "9.3",
"versionType": "custom"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"published": "2023-02-27T20:15:14.517",
"references": [
{
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213599",
"source": "product-security@apple.com"
},
{
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213601",
"source": "product-security@apple.com"
},
{
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213605",
"tags": [
"Vendor Advisory"
],
"source": "product-security@apple.com"
},
{
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213606",
"tags": [
"Vendor Advisory"
],
"source": "product-security@apple.com"
},
{
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213599",
"source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
},
{
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213601",
"source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
},
{
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213605",
"tags": [
"Vendor Advisory"
],
"source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
},
{
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213606",
"tags": [
"Vendor Advisory"
],
"source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
}
],
"vulnStatus": "Modified",
"weaknesses": [
{
"type": "Primary",
"source": "nvd@nist.gov",
"description": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "CWE-367"
}
]
},
{
"type": "Secondary",
"source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
"description": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "CWE-367"
}
]
}
],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "A race condition was addressed with additional validation. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.3, tvOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2, iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3. A user may be able to read arbitrary files as root."
}
],
"lastModified": "2026-06-17T05:37:19.777",
"configurations": [
{
"nodes": [
{
"negate": false,
"cpeMatch": [
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"vulnerable": true,
"matchCriteriaId": "4FAC57E1-C456-4770-815E-DDD7A3621DEB",
"versionEndExcluding": "16.3"
},
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"vulnerable": true,
"matchCriteriaId": "3710A47F-64BC-443A-8E80-F8116A01BD5B",
"versionEndExcluding": "16.3"
},
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"vulnerable": true,
"matchCriteriaId": "362E766C-05AD-4205-85FA-F388DDF5DD1A",
"versionEndExcluding": "13.2"
}
],
"operator": "OR"
}
]
}
],
"sourceIdentifier": "product-security@apple.com"
}