CVE-2023-42982 – This vulnerability in macOS allows processing m... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-42982?

CVE-2023-42982 has a CVSS score of 6.4 (MEDIUM). This vulnerability in macOS allows processing malicious files to cause denial-of-service or potentially leak memory contents. It affects macOS systems before version 14. Users who open untrusted files are at risk.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in macOS allows processing malicious files to cause denial-of-service or potentially leak memory contents. It affects macOS systems before version 14. Users who open untrusted files are at risk.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

macOS

Versions: Versions before macOS 14 (Sonoma)

Operating Systems: macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default configurations of affected macOS versions are vulnerable when processing files.

📦 What is this software?

Macos by Apple

macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Memory disclosure could expose sensitive information like passwords or encryption keys, while denial-of-service could crash critical applications.

🟠

Likely Case

Denial-of-service causing application crashes when processing specially crafted files.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper file handling controls and user awareness about opening untrusted files.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires user interaction to process malicious files, not directly network exploitable.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could exploit via shared files or email attachments.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires user to open a malicious file; no known public exploits at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: macOS 14 (Sonoma) and later

Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120950

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open System Settings 2. Click General 3. Click Software Update 4. Install macOS 14 or later 5. Restart when prompted

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict file processing

all

Configure macOS to only open files from trusted sources and disable automatic file processing

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement application whitelisting to restrict which applications can process files
Educate users about risks of opening untrusted files and implement email filtering for suspicious attachments

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check macOS version: if earlier than 14.0, system is vulnerable

Check Version:

sw_vers

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify macOS version is 14.0 or later

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Application crashes related to file processing
Memory access violations in system logs

Network Indicators:

Unusual file downloads followed by application crashes

SIEM Query:

source="macOS" AND (event="crash" OR event="memory_access") AND process="*file*"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-42982

CVSS v3 Score: 6.4 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-125

EPSS Score: 0.22% exploit probability (44.6th percentile)

Published: April 11, 2025

Last Updated: April 21, 2025

🔗 References

https://support.apple.com/en-us/120950 Vendor Advisory

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