CVE-2016-1751
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 · uneditedThe kernel in Apple iOS before 9.3, tvOS before 9.2, and watchOS before 2.2 does not properly restrict the execute permission, which allows attackers to bypass a code-signing protection mechanism via a crafted app.
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 confidenceThe iOS, tvOS, and watchOS kernel fails to properly enforce execute permission restrictions, allowing a maliciously crafted application to bypass code-signing enforcement and execute unsigned code. This circumvents a fundamental security control that normally prevents execution of untrusted code on Apple mobile devices.
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< 9.3< 9.2< 2.2CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check iOS version on iPhone or iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version and note the displayed version numberAffected if Version is below 9.3 (for example, 9.2.x, 9.1.x, 9.0.x, or any 8.x version)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version and note the displayed version numberAffected if Version is below 9.2 (for example, 9.1.x, 9.0.x, or any 8.x version)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, and note the displayed version numberAffected if Version is below 2.2 (for example, 2.1.x, 2.0.x, 1.x, or any earlier version)
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Confirm device typeVerify whether the device is an iPhone/iPad (iOS), Apple TV (tvOS), or Apple Watch (watchOS) - the affected version ranges differ by platformAffected if Device runs any of the three affected platforms and the corresponding OS version falls below the safe threshold
You are affected if your device runs iOS prior to 9.3, tvOS prior to 9.2, or watchOS prior to 2.2, as these versions contain the kernel flaw that allows unsigned code execution.
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 data2.29.29.3
Update affected devices to iOS 9.3 or later, tvOS 9.2 or later, and watchOS 2.2 or later to obtain the kernel patch that properly restricts execute permissions.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1751 — 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-2016-1751 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