CVE-2016-7580 Apple CVE debrief

Who should care

Administrators and users running macOS versions prior to 10.12, especially environments where Apple Mail is used to open or process web-linked content, should pay attention. Security teams should also care because the attack path is remote and requires only user interaction, which can still matter in managed endpoints and enterprise email workflows.

Technical summary

The supplied corpus describes a denial-of-service condition in Apple Mail on macOS before 10.12. A remote web server can supply a crafted URL that triggers the issue. NVD maps the weakness to CWE-20 and gives the CVSS v3 vector CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, indicating network attackability, no privileges, required user interaction, and high availability impact. The NVD CPE scope lists macOS up to 10.11.6, while the textual description uses the broader cutoff of before 10.12.

Defensive priority

Medium. The issue is remotely triggerable and can disrupt availability, but the supplied data does not indicate code execution, privilege gain, or data exposure. Prioritize it for any still-supported or legacy macOS fleet that may be exposed through Mail-based URL handling.

Recommended defensive actions

• Upgrade affected macOS systems to 10.12 or later, or to the earliest vendor-supported release that contains the fix.
• Review endpoint inventory for any macOS systems still running versions before 10.12, including legacy or unmanaged devices.
• Reduce exposure to untrusted web content in Mail workflows where practical, especially in high-risk user populations.
• Monitor for repeated Mail crashes or availability issues that coincide with opening crafted links or web content.
• Use the vendor advisory and NVD record to confirm remediation coverage in your environment.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based only on the supplied CVE/NVD corpus and official links. The description states that macOS before 10.12 is affected and that the Mail component can be used by remote web servers to cause denial of service via a crafted URL. The NVD metadata adds the CVSS vector, CWE-20 mapping, and a CPE scope ending at macOS 10.11.6. No exploit code, proof-of-concept, or additional vendor detail was used.

Official resources