What it is
CVE-2023-38606 is an unauthenticated vulnerability affecting Apple tvOS and 3 other products. This issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.6.8, iOS 15.7.8 and...
Vulnerability report
Exploited in the wild
Confirmed confidence
In CISA KEV
CVE-2023-38606
tvOS
Apple / tvOS · affected before 16.6
- Severity
- CVSS 5.5 · Medium
- Confidence
- Confirmed
- Exploit status
- Exploited in the wild
- EPSS
- 2.9%
- First observed
- —
- Last observed
- —
Decision summary
What security teams need to know first
Direct answers before the deeper technical record.
Is it exploited?
Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.
Who is affected?
Apple / tvOS affected before 16.6.
What should we do?
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
Overview
This issue was addressed with improved state management
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.
Vendor
Product
Affected
Status
Apple
tvOS
Before 16.6
Affected
Apple
iOS and iPadOS
Before 16.6
Affected
Apple
macOS
Before 13.5
Affected
Apple
iOS and iPadOS
Before 15.7
Affected
Apple
macOS
Before 11.7
Affected
Apple
macOS
Before 12.6
Affected
Apple
watchOS
Before 9.6
Affected
- Published
- 26 Jul 2023
- Exploitation Reported
- 26 Jul 2023
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
Tags
cisa
nessus_scanner
ios
macos
CVE References
- CVE Record CVE.org · CVE Record https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38606
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213846 support.apple.com · CVE Record https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213846
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213841 support.apple.com · CVE Record https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213841
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213843 support.apple.com · CVE Record https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213843
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213842 support.apple.com · CVE Record https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213842
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213845 support.apple.com · CVE Record https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213845
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213844 support.apple.com · CVE Record https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213844
- support.apple.com/en-us/HT213848 support.apple.com · CVE Record https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213848
Exploitation evidence
Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited
Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.
Exploited in the wild
CISA
Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.
Known exploited vulnerability sources
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| CISA First | 2023-07-26 00:00 UTC |
Detection
Operational artifacts and observed signals
Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.
Observed signals
- Request targets
- 0
- User-Agents
- 0
Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.
Scanner coverage
Nessus template detected 02 Jun 2025.
View Nessus template (opens in new tab)Virtual patch status
No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.
Learn about virtual patches →Scanner Artifacts
Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nessus | https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/178942 | 02 Jun 2025 |
Risk and context
Severity, weaknesses, and research context
CVSS v3.1
5.5
Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
EPSS
2.9%
Timeline
From disclosure to observed exploitation
-
Nessus plugin available
Scanner coverage available
-
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
Added to CISA KEV
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
-
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Pro API
Automate this intelligence
Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
- Evidence confidence and provenance
- First-party sensor telemetry
- PoC and scanner references
- Affected versions and enrichment
- Automation-ready JSON delivery
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2023-38606
Free JSON includes basic KEV fields{
"cve_id": "CVE-2023-38606",
"confidence": "Confirmed",
"cvss_score": 5.5,
"cvss_estimated": false,
"epss_score": 0.02899,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}Early warning alerts
Get alerts on high-impact exploitation
Receive curator-selected alerts when exploitation activity warrants attention. Each alert includes the evidence and context needed to decide what requires attention now.