Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-42889 is an Apple macOS privacy-control bypass. Apple says an app may bypass certain Privacy preferences, which could expose some user data or protected access despite expected settings. The issue is fixed in Sonoma 14.1, Ventura 13.6.1, and Monterey 12.7.1.
Executive priority
Patch during the next normal macOS maintenance cycle, faster for sensitive-user populations. Business urgency is moderate because the known impact is limited to confidentiality and sources do not show active exploitation.
Technical view
Apple describes this as a CWE-290 issue addressed with improved checks. The public bundle does not identify the specific Privacy preference, affected subsystem, or attack path. CVSS 3.1 is 5.3 with low confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Organizations with Macs running macOS versions earlier than Sonoma 14.1, Ventura 13.6.1, or Monterey 12.7.1 may be exposed. The source bundle lists macOS broadly and does not provide narrower affected-version detail.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not report active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Treat this as a privacy and endpoint-hardening issue rather than evidence of a known campaign.
Researcher notes
Public details are sparse. Apple only states that improved checks fix a Privacy preferences bypass. Do not infer the exact privacy control, required app context, or exploitability beyond the CVSS vector and Apple description.
Mitigation direction
- Update macOS fleets to Sonoma 14.1, Ventura 13.6.1, Monterey 12.7.1, or later.
- Use MDM compliance rules to block or quarantine Macs below the fixed versions.
- Prioritize endpoints handling regulated, executive, legal, or customer data.
- Review Apple advisories for any additional product-specific operational guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory managed and unmanaged Macs by macOS major and patch version.
- Confirm devices meet or exceed the fixed Apple versions.
- Check MDM patch-compliance reports for exceptions and stale devices.
- Review endpoint telemetry for unusual application privacy access where available.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-290: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-42889 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N3.91.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213984CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213985CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213983CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213985CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213984CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Authentication Bypass by Spoofing
Authentication Bypass by Spoofing represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.