CVE-2016-7579 Apple CVE debrief

Who should care

Administrators and users running affected Apple operating system versions, especially environments that rely on proxy authentication and are exposed to untrusted networks. Security teams managing iOS, macOS, or tvOS fleets should prioritize patch validation and deployment.

Technical summary

The supplied NVD data describes a flaw in CFNetwork Proxies where a network attacker positioned as a man-in-the-middle can spoof a proxy password authentication prompt/requirement. The result is disclosure of sensitive information, matching the NVD weakness classification CWE-200. The record’s CVSS vector is CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating a network-reachable issue that requires some attack complexity but no privileges or user interaction.

Defensive priority

Patch promptly on any affected Apple device, with highest priority for systems that routinely use corporate proxies or may connect through hostile networks. The issue is confidentiality-impacting and externally reachable, so delaying remediation increases the chance of credential or traffic-related information exposure.

Recommended defensive actions

• Update iOS to 10.1 or later, macOS to 10.12.1 or later, and tvOS to 10.0.1 or later on all affected systems.
• Verify that Apple security updates referenced by the vendor advisories are fully deployed across managed fleets.
• Review proxy authentication settings and monitor for unusual proxy-related prompts or configuration changes on affected devices.
• Treat untrusted or public-network access as higher risk until patched devices are confirmed.
• Track remediation status using the Apple vendor advisories and the NVD record for CVE-2016-7579.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based on the supplied CVE/NVD corpus and linked vendor references. The record states the affected platforms and version cutoffs, the CFNetwork Proxies component, a man-in-the-middle spoofing scenario, and the confidentiality impact. NVD lists CVSS 3.0 5.9 with vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N and weakness CWE-200. The record also includes Apple vendor advisories and third-party advisory references, but the summary relies on the official corpus metadata only.

Official resources