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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7648 Apple CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7648 is a high-severity memory-corruption issue in Apple’s WebKit component affecting iOS, Safari, iCloud, and iTunes. According to the source corpus, a crafted website could trigger remote code execution or cause an application crash/denial of service. The vulnerability was published on 2017-02-20 and later modified in NVD on 2026-05-13.

Vendor
Apple
Product
Unknown
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 and individuals running affected Apple versions should care, especially if they use Safari for general browsing or rely on iOS, iCloud, or iTunes deployments that were not updated past the vulnerable versions. Security teams supporting Apple endpoints should prioritize patch verification because the issue is remotely triggerable through web content and impacts multiple widely used products.

Technical summary

NVD classifies the weakness as CWE-119 (memory corruption) with CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The source corpus states that a crafted website can lead to arbitrary code execution or a denial-of-service crash in WebKit. The vulnerable ranges in NVD are encoded as iOS through 10.1.1, Safari through 10.0.1, iCloud through 6.0.1, and iTunes through 12.5.3; the human-readable description summarizes these as versions before iOS 10.2, Safari 10.0.2, iCloud 6.1, and iTunes 12.5.4.

Defensive priority

High. This is a remotely reachable browser-engine flaw with code-execution potential and no privileges required, though user interaction is needed. The combination of broad product impact and high CVSS makes timely patch validation important.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Update affected Apple products to versions newer than the vulnerable ranges listed in the source corpus.
  • Verify iOS devices are beyond 10.1.1 and confirm Safari, iCloud, and iTunes installations are beyond the listed vulnerable versions.
  • Review Apple security advisories linked in the source corpus for the product-specific fixed releases and deployment guidance.
  • Prioritize patching on internet-facing or high-browsing-risk endpoints first, since exploitation is triggered through crafted web content.
  • Use endpoint inventory and compliance checks to confirm no affected Apple versions remain in production or on unmanaged devices.

Evidence notes

All claims here are taken from the supplied corpus and official links. NVD lists the issue as Apple WebKit memory corruption (CWE-119) with CVSS 3.0 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The corpus includes Apple vendor advisories and third-party references. The description states affected versions are iOS before 10.2, Safari before 10.0.2, iCloud before 6.1, and iTunes before 12.5.4; the NVD CPE criteria encode the vulnerable ranges as ending at 10.1.1, 10.0.1, 6.0.1, and 12.5.3 respectively.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-7648 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7648

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-7648 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7648

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.