CVE-2023-42931: Apple macOS Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2023-42931 Overview

CVE-2023-42931 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting multiple versions of Apple macOS. The flaw allows a process to gain administrative privileges without proper authentication checks. Apple addressed the issue through improved validation logic in macOS Ventura 13.6.3, macOS Sonoma 14.2, and macOS Monterey 12.7.2.

The weakness is categorized under [CWE-280] (Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges). Local attackers with low-privilege access on a vulnerable system can elevate to admin-level rights, undermining the macOS authorization model.

Critical Impact

A local process can bypass authentication controls to acquire admin privileges, enabling full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on affected macOS hosts.

Affected Products

• Apple macOS Monterey (versions prior to 12.7.2)
• Apple macOS Ventura (versions prior to 13.6.3)
• Apple macOS Sonoma (versions prior to 14.2)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-03-28 - CVE-2023-42931 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
• 2025-11-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-42931

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides within macOS privilege management logic, where insufficient checks allow a process to acquire admin rights without satisfying expected authentication requirements. Apple's advisory states the issue was addressed with improved checks, indicating that the original code path failed to enforce required authorization gates before granting elevated permissions.

Exploitation requires local access to the target system with at least low-level privileges. No user interaction is needed, and the attack complexity is low. A successful exploit grants the attacker administrative control, which on macOS permits installation of persistent malware, modification of system configuration, and access to other users' data.

The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) places this CVE in the 86th percentile, reflecting a higher-than-average likelihood of exploitation activity relative to the broader CVE population. No public proof-of-concept has been published, and the issue is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper privilege validation, mapped to [CWE-280]. A code path responsible for transitioning a process to administrative context did not adequately verify that the caller had been authenticated. Apple's fix introduces stricter checks that enforce authentication before privileges are elevated.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An attacker must already have code execution on the macOS host, for example through a malicious application, a compromised user account, or a chained vulnerability. The attacker invokes the vulnerable privileged interface and abuses the missing authentication check to assume admin rights. Because no user interaction is required, the technique is well-suited to post-exploitation tooling and malicious installers.

No verified exploit code is available. Refer to the Apple Support Article HT214036, HT214037, and HT214038 for the official fix descriptions.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-42931

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected creation of admin-group users or addition of existing users to the admin group on macOS endpoints.
• Processes spawned by non-privileged users that subsequently perform actions requiring root, without an Authorization Services prompt.
• Modifications to /etc/sudoers, /Library/LaunchDaemons/, or /Library/LaunchAgents/ from low-privilege contexts.
• Use of privileged tooling such as dscl, sysadminctl, or security authorizationdb by unexpected parent processes.

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Endpoint Security framework events for ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_SETUID and authorization-related transitions originating from unprivileged processes.
• Alert on usage of sysadminctl -addUser or dscl . -append /Groups/admin GroupMembership outside of approved provisioning workflows.
• Baseline expected administrative tooling per host and flag deviations from that baseline.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward unified log entries from com.apple.opendirectoryd and com.apple.authd to a central log platform for correlation.
• Track macOS build versions across the fleet to identify hosts still running pre-12.7.2, pre-13.6.3, or pre-14.2 releases.
• Review privileged group membership changes on a recurring schedule and reconcile against change-management records.

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-42931

Immediate Actions Required

• Update affected systems to macOS Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, or macOS Sonoma 14.2 or later.
• Inventory macOS endpoints and prioritize patching for hosts handling sensitive data or used by privileged users.
• Audit local accounts and admin group membership for unauthorized additions made prior to patching.
• Restrict local logon and software installation rights on shared or kiosk systems until patches are deployed.

Patch Information

Apple released fixes in macOS Monterey 12.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.6.3, and macOS Sonoma 14.2. Details are available in Apple Support Article HT214036, Apple Support Article HT214037, and Apple Support Article HT214038.

Workarounds

• No vendor-supplied workaround exists; updating to a fixed macOS release is the supported remediation.
• Reduce risk by limiting which users have local interactive access on macOS endpoints.
• Enforce application allowlisting via Gatekeeper and notarization policies to limit untrusted code that could trigger the flaw.

# Verify the installed macOS version and confirm it meets the patched baseline
sw_vers -productVersion

# Example expected outputs (or newer):
#   12.7.2   -> Monterey patched
#   13.6.3   -> Ventura patched
#   14.2     -> Sonoma patched

# Trigger an update check from the command line
sudo softwareupdate --list
sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart