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CVE-2016-7625 Apple CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7625 is a low-severity local information-disclosure issue in Apple macOS before 10.12.2. According to the NVD record, the flaw is in the IOKit component and can allow a local user to obtain sensitive kernel memory-layout information through unspecified vectors. The issue was published on 2017-02-20 and is associated with CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor).

Vendor
Apple
Product
CVE-2016-7625
CVSS
LOW 3.3
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

Apple macOS administrators, endpoint security teams, and anyone allowing untrusted local users or shared accounts on affected systems should care. Systems running macOS versions before 10.12.2 are in scope based on the supplied record.

Technical summary

The supplied NVD data describes a local, low-privilege information leak in macOS IOKit affecting macOS versions up to 10.12.1. The CVSS vector is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N, which indicates a local attacker with limited privileges can disclose some sensitive information, but the record does not indicate integrity or availability impact. NVD maps the issue to CWE-200. The description specifically mentions sensitive kernel memory-layout information, but the exact trigger is not detailed in the source corpus.

Defensive priority

Moderate to low for most environments. The scoring is low, but the exposure of kernel memory-layout information can still be useful to an attacker with local access. Prioritize remediation on shared systems, developer workstations, and endpoints where local code execution or low-privilege access is a realistic concern.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade affected macOS systems to 10.12.2 or later, since the supplied record says versions before 10.12.2 are affected.
  • Review Apple’s vendor advisory for the associated security update and deployment guidance.
  • Treat the issue as a local information-disclosure risk and tighten local account control, least privilege, and software-install restrictions.
  • Where practical, limit untrusted local access on shared macOS systems until remediation is complete.
  • Confirm asset inventory for macOS versions before 10.12.2 and prioritize patching those hosts first.

Evidence notes

Evidence is limited to the supplied NVD record and its linked Apple advisory references. The record states macOS before 10.12.2 is affected, the component is IOKit, the impact is disclosure of sensitive kernel memory-layout information, and the CVSS vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N. NVD also assigns CWE-200. No exploit details are provided or needed for this defensive summary.

Official resources

Published by NVD on 2017-02-20. The supplied record was modified later on 2026-05-13, but that date is not the vulnerability issue date.