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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7626 Apple CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7626 describes a memory-corruption flaw in Apple’s Profiles component that could be triggered remotely with a crafted certificate profile. The reported impact includes arbitrary code execution or a denial of service through an application crash. NVD lists the issue as High severity with CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Apple’s affected versions in the supplied corpus are iOS before 10.2, tvOS before 10.1, and watchOS before 3.1.1. The vendor references in NVD point to Apple security advisories and support documents, and an Exploit-DB entry is also listed in the reference set. No KEV entry is supplied here.

Vendor
Apple
Product
CVE-2016-7626
CVSS
HIGH 8.8
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

Organizations managing Apple mobile, TV, or wearable fleets should care, especially MDM administrators, endpoint/security teams, and users running iOS before 10.2, tvOS before 10.1, or watchOS before 3.1.1. Any workflow that accepts or distributes configuration/certificate profiles should be reviewed.

Technical summary

The vulnerability affects the Profiles component and is categorized by NVD as CWE-119 (improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer). The supplied description says a remote attacker could use a crafted certificate profile to cause memory corruption, resulting in code execution or a crash. The CVSS vector indicates network attackability with low complexity, no privileges required, but user interaction is required.

Defensive priority

High. The combination of remote reachability, no privileges, potential code execution, and high confidentiality/integrity/availability impact makes this important to patch promptly on any affected Apple platform.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade iOS devices to 10.2 or later.
  • Upgrade tvOS devices to 10.1 or later.
  • Upgrade watchOS devices to 3.1.1 or later.
  • Review and restrict trust/installation of configuration and certificate profiles from untrusted or unnecessary sources.
  • Use MDM or fleet management tools to verify version compliance across Apple endpoints.
  • Check Apple security advisories and support documents referenced by NVD for product-specific remediation guidance.

Evidence notes

All factual statements above are limited to the supplied corpus and official references. The CVE was published on 2017-02-20 and later modified in NVD on 2026-05-13. NVD lists affected CPE ranges for iPhone OS before 10.2, tvOS before 10.1, and watchOS before 3.1.1, with CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H and CWE-119. The reference set includes Apple vendor advisories/support pages plus a third-party Exploit-DB entry; no KEV entry or active ransomware linkage is provided in the source corpus.

Official resources

Published by NVD on 2017-02-20 based on vendor and database references in the supplied corpus. Vendor advisory references in the record point to Apple security materials from December 2016. NVD metadata was last modified on 2026-05-13.