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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-4678 Apple CVE debrief

CVE-2016-4678 is a high-severity local vulnerability in macOS before 10.12.1 affecting the AppleSMC component. According to NVD, local users could gain privileges or trigger a denial of service through unspecified vectors, and the weakness is classified as a NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476). The NVD record shows a local attack path with low attack complexity and no user interaction, which makes this especially important on systems where untrusted local accounts, shared logins, or remote desktop access are present.

Vendor
Apple
Product
Unknown
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-20
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-20
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

macOS administrators, endpoint security teams, and anyone responsible for Macs running versions earlier than 10.12.1. It is most relevant where local access is shared or less trusted, because the issue requires local privileges but can lead to full compromise or system instability.

Technical summary

NVD maps the issue to AppleSMC on macOS versions up to 10.12.0. The vulnerability is described as allowing local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service via unspecified vectors, and NVD identifies CWE-476 (NULL pointer dereference). The published CVSS vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating a local attack that can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Apple’s advisory is referenced in the NVD record.

Defensive priority

High. Although exploitation requires local privileges, the impact includes privilege escalation and system disruption, and the NVD scoring reflects potential full CIA compromise. Prioritize patching any affected macOS deployment that has not been brought to 10.12.1 or later.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Update affected macOS systems to 10.12.1 or later.
  • Inventory Macs running versions earlier than 10.12.1 and verify remediation status.
  • Limit untrusted local access and apply least-privilege controls on shared systems.
  • Treat any unexplained crashes or privilege anomalies on pre-10.12.1 systems as potentially relevant until patched.
  • Use the Apple security advisory referenced by NVD to confirm vendor guidance for your fleet.

Evidence notes

The supplied NVD metadata states: affected CPE criteria include macOS versions ending at 10.12.0; the weakness is CWE-476; and the CVSS vector is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The description explicitly names the AppleSMC component and says local users may gain privileges or cause denial of service. NVD references Apple’s support advisory URL, but no additional advisory text was ingested here.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-4678 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-4678

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-4678 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-4678

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.