CVE-2023-42931

Administrative privilege escalation

Published Mar 28, 2024 · Updated Nov 4, 2025

Privilege escalation in Apple macOS 12, 13, and 14 allows local users to gain admin privileges through DiskArbitration. Apple identifies the affected component as DiskArbitration but has not disclosed which check fails or what input reaches it. A local process must reach the component; the documented consequence is administrative access.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability1.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Apple macOS 12, 13, and 14 allows local users to gain admin privileges through DiskArbitration. Apple identifies the affected component as DiskArbitration but has not disclosed which check fails or what input reaches it. A local process must reach the component; the documented consequence is administrative access.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-42931
Published
Mar 28, 2024
Updated
Nov 4, 2025
Vendor
Apple
Product
macOS
Classifications
CWE-280, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 28, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 4, 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=12.0.0 <12.7.2
  2. Affected versionversion=13.0 <13.6.3
  3. Affected versionversion=14.0 <14.2
  4. Affected versionversion=unspecified <12.7
  5. Affected versionversion=unspecified <13.6
  6. Affected versionversion=unspecified <14.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Apple · macOSversion=12.0.0 <12.7.2; version=13.0 <13.6.3; version=14.0 <14.2; version=unspecified <12.7; version=unspecified <13.6; version=unspecified <14.2

Published CVSS scores

7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.3CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

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
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-280Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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