CVE-2023-41990 — Apple Multiple Products Code Execution Vulnerability

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 exec

01What is this vulnerability?

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…

02Affected products

Vendor	Product	Versions
Apple	iOS and iPadOS	unspecified
Apple	tvOS	unspecified
Apple	iOS and iPadOS	unspecified
Apple	macOS	unspecified
Apple	macOS	unspecified
Apple	macOS	unspecified
Apple	watchOS	unspecified

03Active exploitation status

Yes — actively exploited. Added to the CISA KEV catalog on 2024-01-08. Ransomware use: Unknown.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Open the Sigma generator with a pre-filled prompt for this CVE to draft a starting detection in your stack of choice:

Open in Sigma generator →

07Related CVEs

No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.

08Timeline

• Published: 2023-09-11T23:29:26.660Z
• Last modified: 2025-10-21T23:05:38.586Z
• Added to CISA KEV: 2024-01-08
• BOD 22-01 due: 2024-01-29

09References

• support.apple.com — https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213606
• support.apple.com — https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213601
• support.apple.com — https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213842
• support.apple.com — https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213845
• support.apple.com — https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213605
• support.apple.com — https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213844
• support.apple.com — https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213599