CVE-2016-7639 Apple CVE debrief

Who should care

Security teams managing Apple endpoints, especially fleets that include legacy or slow-to-update iOS, Safari, iCloud, or iTunes installations. Browser security owners and MDM administrators should care because the attack surface is a crafted website and user interaction is required.

Technical summary

The record describes a WebKit component memory corruption flaw, classified by NVD as CWE-119, with CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The vulnerable software versions listed in the supplied data are iOS before 10.2, Safari before 10.0.2, iCloud before 6.1, and iTunes before 12.5.4; the NVD CPE criteria in the same corpus enumerate iPhone OS through 10.1.1, Safari through 10.0.1, iCloud through 6.0.1, and iTunes through 12.5.3. The impact is limited by required user interaction, but the confidentiality, integrity, and availability outcomes are all rated high in the CVSS vector.

Defensive priority

High. The issue enables remote code execution from a crafted web page in widely deployed Apple software, so exposed or unpatched endpoints should be prioritized for update and inventory review.

Recommended defensive actions

• Update affected Apple products to versions at or above the fixed levels named in the CVE record: iOS 10.2 or later, Safari 10.0.2 or later, iCloud 6.1 or later, and iTunes 12.5.4 or later.
• Use MDM, software inventory, or endpoint management tooling to identify any systems still running versions at or below the vulnerable ranges listed in the record.
• Prioritize patching for devices that regularly browse the web or open untrusted content, since the trigger is a crafted website.
• Review Apple security advisories linked from the record for product-specific remediation guidance before broad rollout.
• Remove or isolate unsupported Apple systems that cannot be updated past the vulnerable versions.

Evidence notes

The supplied source is an official NVD CVE record modified on 2026-05-13, with original publication dated 2017-02-20. The record includes Apple vendor advisories and third-party references, and it identifies the flaw as a WebKit memory-corruption issue with CWE-119. Because the corpus only includes metadata and linked references, this debrief stays within those supplied facts and does not infer exploit details beyond the record.

Official resources