SafariWeb browser · Apple
CVE-2015-5928
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedWebKit, as used in Apple iOS before 9.1, Safari before 9.0.1, and iTunes before 12.3.1, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted web site, a different vulnerability than other WebKit CVEs listed in APPLE-SA-2015-10-21-1, APPLE-SA-2015-10-21-3, and APPLE-SA-2015-10-21-5.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in WebKit rendering engine that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via crafted websites. The vulnerability affects iOS devices before 9.1, Safari browsers before 9.0.1, and iTunes before 12.3.1.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
SafariWeb browser
<= 9.0<= 12.3.0<= 9.0.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Apple productsCheck if Safari, iTunes, or iOS devices are present on your system. On Windows: look for Safari in Program Files or iTunes in Program Files. On macOS: check Applications folder. On iOS devices: go to Settings > General > About.Affected if Any of these products are installed and their versions are at or below the affected ranges.
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Check Safari versionOpen Safari, then go to Safari > About Safari (Mac) or Help > About Safari (Windows). The version number displays next to Safari.Affected if Safari version is 9.0 or lower.
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Check iTunes versionOpen iTunes, then go to iTunes > About iTunes (Mac) or Help > About iTunes (Windows). The version number displays next to iTunes.Affected if iTunes version is 12.3.0 or lower.
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Check iOS version on iPhone/iPadOn the iOS device, open Settings > General > About. The Version field shows the iOS release number.Affected if iOS version is 9.0.2 or lower.
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Verify WebKit usage and JavaScript availabilityThis vulnerability is triggered through WebKit when processing malicious web content. Check if JavaScript is enabled in Safari settings (Settings > Safari > JavaScript on iOS, or Safari > Preferences > Security > Enable JavaScript on macOS/Windows).Affected if JavaScript is enabled and untrusted websites can be visited, allowing exploitation via crafted pages.
You are affected if Safari 9.0 or lower, iTunes 12.3.0 or lower, or iOS 9.0.2 or lower is installed and the device can browse the web with JavaScript enabled.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply vendor patches by updating to iOS 9.1+, Safari 9.0.1+, or iTunes 12.3.1+; alternatively, disable JavaScript or restrict web browsing to trusted sites until patches are applied.
Fix this in Safari
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5928 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-5928 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data