CVE-2016-7644 Apple CVE debrief

Who should care

Apple device administrators, mobile fleet managers, macOS/watchOS support teams, endpoint security teams, and users who may install or launch untrusted apps on affected devices.

Technical summary

The supplied NVD summary classifies this as CWE-416 (use-after-free) in the Apple Kernel component. The record describes impact on iOS before 10.2, macOS before 10.12.2, and watchOS before 3.1.3, while the NVD CPE criteria in the source item list iPhone OS through 10.1.1, macOS through 10.12.1, and watchOS through 2.2.2. The CVSS 3.0 vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, which indicates a locally reachable issue that requires user interaction but can still result in full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Defensive priority

High. This is a kernel memory-safety flaw with potential privileged code execution, and the affected platforms span multiple Apple operating systems. Prioritize patching and exposure reduction on any device still running the affected versions.

Recommended defensive actions

• Update iOS to 10.2 or later, macOS to 10.12.2 or later, and watchOS to 3.1.3 or later, using the corresponding Apple vendor advisories.
• Inventory Apple devices to confirm no affected versions remain in production, test, or BYOD pools.
• Treat untrusted app installation and launch paths as the likely exposure surface for this issue and reduce them where policy allows.
• Investigate unexplained kernel crashes, spontaneous reboots, or instability on unpatched devices as possible indicators of abuse or accidental triggering.
• Use the Apple advisories referenced in the NVD record as the primary remediation source for platform-specific guidance.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based only on the supplied CVE/NVD corpus and the listed official Apple advisory links. The source item includes NVD summary data, affected CPE criteria, and references to Apple advisories (HT207422, HT207423, HT207487) plus third-party indexes. The corpus does not include the full Apple advisory bodies, so this debrief preserves the supplied descriptions and version ranges. The source also shows a mismatch between the narrative affected-version text and the CPE end versions; both are noted in the technical summary rather than being normalized.

Official resources