Apple releases important security updates for macOS Monterey and Big Sur

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)

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