CVE-2023-38571

Local Privacy bypass via improperly validated symlinks

Published Jul 28, 2023 · Updated Feb 13, 2025

Privacy bypass in Apple macOS Music allows local users to access data in Big Sur before 11.7.9, Monterey before 12.6.8, or Ventura before 13.5. The Music component insufficiently validates symbolic links, allowing a malicious app to redirect file access around configured Privacy protections. Exploitation requires running an app in a local user context; the resulting access is limited to data otherwise blocked by those preferences.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability1.57%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privacy bypass in Apple macOS Music allows local users to access data in Big Sur before 11.7.9, Monterey before 12.6.8, or Ventura before 13.5. The Music component insufficiently validates symbolic links, allowing a malicious app to redirect file access around configured Privacy protections. Exploitation requires running an app in a local user context; the resulting access is limited to data otherwise blocked by those preferences.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-38571
Published
Jul 28, 2023
Updated
Feb 13, 2025
Vendor
Apple
Product
macOS
Classifications
T1548.006
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 28, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 13, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <11.7
  2. Affected versionversion=unspecified <12.6
  3. Affected versionversion=unspecified <13.5

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

Apple · macOSversion=unspecified <11.7; version=unspecified <12.6; version=unspecified <13.5

Published CVSS scores

7.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1548.006TCC Manipulation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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