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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7598 Apple CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7598 is an Apple WebKit information-disclosure issue that can let a remote attacker obtain sensitive data from process memory through a crafted website. The CVE affects multiple Apple products, including iOS, Safari, iCloud, and iTunes, with vendor advisories published for the fixes. Because exploitation requires user interaction and the impact is confidentiality-only, the main risk is exposure of in-memory data rather than direct code execution or service disruption.

Vendor
Apple
Product
CVE-2016-7598
CVSS
MEDIUM 6.5
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

Organizations and users running affected Apple devices or applications should care, especially teams managing iOS fleets, macOS/macOS-era Safari deployments, and endpoints where users commonly browse the web or access Apple services. Security and IT teams should prioritize remediation on internet-facing or high-exposure user devices first.

Technical summary

NVD describes the issue as a WebKit component vulnerability that allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via a crafted web site. The CVSS vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating network reachability, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and required user interaction. NVD lists vulnerable CPE ranges for Apple iPhone OS, Safari, iCloud, and iTunes, while the CVE description states the affected versions as iOS before 10.2, Safari before 10.0.2, iCloud before 6.1, and iTunes before 12.5.4.

Defensive priority

Medium

Recommended defensive actions

  • Update iOS, Safari, iCloud, and iTunes to the versions identified by Apple in the linked vendor advisories.
  • Inventory Apple devices and applications to confirm whether any fall within the affected version ranges listed in the CVE record.
  • Treat devices that browse untrusted websites or use exposed web content more urgently, since exploitation is triggered by a crafted website and requires user interaction.
  • Use the Apple vendor advisories and NVD record to validate remediation status across the fleet.
  • If patching must be delayed, reduce exposure by limiting use of untrusted web content on affected systems until updates are applied.

Evidence notes

The CVE description states that an issue in Apple WebKit allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via a crafted website, affecting iOS before 10.2, Safari before 10.0.2, iCloud before 6.1, and iTunes before 12.5.4. NVD assigns CVSS 3.0 vector CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N and CWE-200, which supports a confidentiality-only information disclosure with user interaction. The NVD references include multiple Apple vendor advisories (HT207421, HT207422, HT207424, HT207427), plus third-party references. The CVE record also lists vulnerable CPE criteria for Apple iPhone OS, Safari, iCloud, and iTunes; those CPE end versions differ slightly from the prose description, so remediation should be validated against the vendor advisories and the specific installed product versions.

Official resources

Publicly disclosed in the CVE/NVD record on 2017-02-20, with Apple vendor advisories linked from the NVD references. No KEV listing is indicated in the supplied data.