Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2023-41990

The issue was addressed with improved handling of caches. This issue is fixed in tvOS 16.3, iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, macOS Ventura 13.2, watchOS 9.3. Processing a font file may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.7.1.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 5 products from apple, from apple, from apple and 2 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Reported in 2023, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.

Published

2023-09-12T00:15:09.463

Last Modified

2025-10-23T18:49:34.320

Status

Analyzed

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 7.8 (HIGH)

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
NVD-CWE-noinfo

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Operating System	apple	ipados	< 15.7.8	Yes
Operating System	apple	ipados	< 16.3	Yes
Operating System	apple	iphone_os	< 15.7.8	Yes
Operating System	apple	iphone_os	< 16.3	Yes
Operating System	apple	macos	< 11.7.9	Yes
Operating System	apple	macos	< 12.6.8	Yes
Operating System	apple	macos	< 13.2	Yes
Operating System	apple	tvos	< 16.3	Yes
Operating System	apple	watchos	< 9.3	Yes

References

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213599 Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213601 Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213605 Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213606 Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213842 Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213844 Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213845 Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213599 Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213601 Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213605 Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213606 Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213842 Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213844 Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213845 Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-41990 US Government Resource (134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For apple's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.