CVE-2016-7657 Apple CVE debrief

Who should care

Organizations managing Apple fleets should care most: mobile device management teams, macOS administrators, watchOS fleet owners, security teams that allow third-party apps, and users of older Apple OS versions. Because the issue requires a crafted app and user interaction, exposure is greatest where app installation or execution is less tightly controlled.

Technical summary

The CVE describes an IOKit weakness that can leak sensitive kernel memory content via a crafted app. NVD classifies the issue with CVSS 3.0 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N and CWE-20. That indicates a local attack path, no privileges required, user interaction required, and limited confidentiality impact without integrity or availability impact. The record’s narrative description says iOS before 10.2, macOS before 10.12.2, and watchOS before 3.1.3 are affected, while the NVD CPE criteria in the same record enumerate earlier version ceilings.

Defensive priority

Low to moderate. The impact is limited to information disclosure and requires local execution plus user interaction, but patching still matters for managed Apple devices and any environment that permits untrusted apps or less restrictive installation paths.

Recommended defensive actions

• Update affected iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch devices to the vendor-fixed releases cited in the CVE record.
• Prioritize patching devices that may remain on older OS releases or that cannot auto-update quickly.
• Restrict app installation to trusted channels and reduce the chance of users launching crafted or untrusted apps.
• Use MDM/compliance checks to identify and quarantine devices below the fixed OS versions.
• Review Apple security advisories linked from the NVD record for platform-specific remediation details.
• If you rely on legacy Apple hardware or OS versions, plan accelerated retirement or isolation until they can be updated.

Evidence notes

The supplied record states that the issue affects iOS before 10.2, macOS before 10.12.2, and watchOS before 3.1.3, and that the flaw involves IOKit allowing sensitive information disclosure from kernel memory via a crafted app. NVD also supplies CVSS 3.0 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N and CWE-20. The same NVD record includes Apple vendor advisory links (HT207422, HT207423, HT207487) and third-party references. One notable record-level discrepancy is that the narrative description and the CPE version endpoints do not match exactly; the CPE criteria list iPhone OS 10.1.1, macOS 10.12.1, and watchOS 2.2.2 as the vulnerable ceilings.

Sources and 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.