Apple releases important security updates for macOS Monterey and Big Sur
On Monday, Apple not only updated macOS Ventura, but the company also released macOS Monterey 12.6.4 and Big Sur 11.7.5, the two OSes that preceded Ventura. Since Monterey and Big Sur are older, Apple does not update them with features, but it does release security updates from time to time. The standard release notes merely state that the update “provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users.”
Here are the security update details
macOS Monterey 12.6.4 security updates
the following security updates are for macOS Monterey 12.7.4, though several of them are for both Monterey and Big Sur machines:
Apple Neural Engine
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
- CVE-2023-23540: Mohamed GHANNAM (@_simo36)
AppleMobileFileIntegrity
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: A user may gain access to protected parts of the file system
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
- CVE-2023-23527: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
Archive Utility
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An archive may be able to bypass Gatekeeper
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
- CVE-2023-27951: Brandon Dalton of Red Canary and Csaba Fitzl (@theevilbit) of Offensive Security
Calendar
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: Importing a maliciously crafted calendar invitation may exfiltrate user information
- Description: Multiple validation issues were addressed with improved input sanitization.
- CVE-2023-27961: Rıza Sabuncu (@rizasabuncu)
ColorSync
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to read arbitrary files
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
- CVE-2023-27955: JeongOhKyea
CommCenter
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory
- Description: An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved input validation.
- CVE-2023-27936: Tingting Yin of Tsinghua University
dcerpc
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: A remote user may be able to cause unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks.
- CVE-2023-27935: Aleksandar Nikolic of Cisco Talos
dcerpc
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: A remote user may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
- CVE-2023-27953: Aleksandar Nikolic of Cisco Talos
- CVE-2023-27958: Aleksandar Nikolic of Cisco Talos
Foundation
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: Parsing a maliciously crafted plist may lead to an unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution
- Description: An integer overflow was addressed with improved input validation.
- CVE-2023-27937: an anonymous researcher
ImageIO
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution
- Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking.
- CVE-2023-27946: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
Kernel
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
- Description: A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management.
- CVE-2023-23514: Xinru Chi of Pangu Lab and Ned Williamson of Google Project Zero
Kernel
- Available for: macOS Monterey
- Impact: An app with root privileges may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
- CVE-2023-27933: sqrtpwn
Kernel
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to disclose kernel memory
- Description: A validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization.
- CVE-2023-28200: Arsenii Kostromin (0x3c3e)
Model I/O
- Available for: macOS Monterey
- Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution
- Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.
- CVE-2023-27949: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
NetworkExtension
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: A user in a privileged network position may be able to spoof a VPN server that is configured with EAP-only authentication on a device
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved authentication.
- CVE-2023-28182: Zhuowei Zhang
PackageKit
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
- Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved checks.
- CVE-2023-23538: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
- CVE-2023-27962: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
Podcasts
- Available for: macOS Monterey
- Impact: An app may be able to access user-sensitive data
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
- CVE-2023-27942: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
Sandbox
- Available for: macOS Monterey
- Impact: An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
- Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved checks.
- CVE-2023-23533: Mickey Jin (@patch1t), Koh M. Nakagawa of FFRI Security, Inc., and Csaba Fitzl (@theevilbit) of Offensive Security
Sandbox
- Available for: macOS Monterey
- Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences
- Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.
- CVE-2023-28178: Yiğit Can YILMAZ (@yilmazcanyigit)
Shortcuts
- Available for: macOS Monterey
- Impact: A shortcut may be able to use sensitive data with certain actions without prompting the user
- Description: The issue was addressed with additional permissions checks.
- CVE-2023-27963: Jubaer Alnazi Jabin of TRS Group Of Companies and Wenchao Li and Xiaolong Bai of Alibaba Group
System Settings
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to access user-sensitive data
- Description: A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries.
- CVE-2023-23542: an anonymous researcher
System Settings
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to read sensitive location information
- Description: A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation.
- CVE-2023-28192: Guilherme Rambo of Best Buddy Apps (rambo.codes)
Vim
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: Multiple issues in Vim
- Description: Multiple issues were addressed by updating to Vim version 9.0.1191.
- CVE-2023-0433
- CVE-2023-0512
XPC
- Available for: macOS Monterey/macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to break out of its sandbox
- Description: This issue was addressed with a new entitlement.
- CVE-2023-27944: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
macOS Big Sur 11.7.5 security updates
In addition to the above updates, the following secutity patches aretrictly for the macOS Big Sur 11.7.5:
AppleAVD
- Available for: macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
- Description: A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management.
- CVE-2022-26702: an anonymous researcher, Antonio Zekic (@antoniozekic), and John Aakerblom (@jaakerblom)
Carbon Core
- Available for: macOS Big Sur
- Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted image may result in disclosure of process memory
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
- CVE-2023-23534: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
Find My
- Available for: macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to read sensitive location information
- Description: A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries.
- CVE-2023-23537: an anonymous researcher
Identity Services
- Available for: macOS Big Sur
- Impact: An app may be able to access information about a user’s contacts
- Description: A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries.
- CVE-2023-27928: Csaba Fitzl (@theevilbit) of Offensive Security
ImageIO
- Available for: macOS Big Sur
- Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted image may result in disclosure of process memory
- Description: The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
- CVE-2023-23535: ryuzaki
How to update to macOS
Apple recommends all users install the upsates as soon as possible. To get them on your machine, follow these instructions:
- Open System Preferences.
- Click on Software Update.
- Your Mac will spend a minute or so checking for updates, if an update is available for your Mac you’ll have the option to click on Upgrade Now and then download the installer for the update to macOS.
- While the installer is being downloaded you will be able to continue to use your Mac. Once the installer has downloaded you can click to install the new update.