CVE-2016-7714 Apple CVE debrief

Who should care

Administrators and users managing Apple devices that may allow untrusted local access should care most, especially shared or multi-user environments. Security teams should include iPhone/iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch patch verification in normal remediation cycles.

Technical summary

The supplied NVD data describes a local information-disclosure vulnerability in Apple IOKit with CVSS 3.0 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N and CWE-200. The issue allowed a local user to obtain sensitive kernel memory-layout information through unspecified vectors. Affected versions in the source corpus are iOS before 10.2, macOS before 10.12.2, and watchOS before 3.1.3.

Defensive priority

Medium-low. The issue is local-only and affects confidentiality rather than integrity or availability, but kernel memory-layout disclosure can still aid follow-on abuse on systems where an attacker already has local execution or user access. Patch during routine Apple OS update cycles, or sooner on shared and higher-risk endpoints.

Recommended defensive actions

• Update iOS devices to 10.2 or later.
• Update macOS systems to 10.12.2 or later.
• Update watchOS devices to 3.1.3 or later.
• Verify that Apple security updates were applied across managed fleets.
• Prioritize devices that may be used in shared, kiosk, lab, or other multi-user settings.
• Review endpoint access controls and local account exposure, since the issue requires local user access.

Evidence notes

This debrief is limited to the supplied CVE record, NVD metadata, and official Apple reference links. The corpus states the affected products and fixed versions, the IOKit component, and the local kernel memory-layout information disclosure impact. The NVD record also supplies the CVSS 3.0 vector and CWE-200 classification. No exploit technique or unsupported implementation details are included.

Official resources