CVE-2016-1788
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 · uneditedMessages in Apple iOS before 9.3, OS X before 10.11.4, and watchOS before 2.2 does not properly implement a cryptographic protection mechanism, which allows remote attackers to read message attachments via vectors related to duplicate messages.
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 · moderate confidenceThe vulnerability exists in Apple Messages app across iOS, OS X, and watchOS where the cryptographic protection mechanism for message attachments is improperly implemented. Attackers can exploit this by sending duplicate messages to bypass the encryption and read attached files. The flaw allows unauthorized disclosure of confidential message content.
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<= 9.2.1<= 10.11.3<= 2.1CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 to see the installed iOS versionAffected if The version listed is 9.2.1 or lower
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Check macOS version on MacClick the Apple menu > About This Mac to view the OS X versionAffected if The version listed is 10.11.3 or lower (OS X El Capitan)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > General > About to see watchOS versionAffected if The version listed is 2.1 or lower
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Verify Messages app is configuredOn the device, confirm the Messages app is set up with an iMessage or SMS account (check Settings > Messages on iOS, or Messages > Preferences on Mac)Affected if The Messages app is active and able to send/receive messages with attachments
You are affected if your device runs iOS 9.2.1 or earlier, OS X 10.11.3 or earlier, or watchOS 2.1 or earlier AND you use the Messages app to handle message attachments.
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 the vendor-supplied security updates: upgrade to iOS 9.3 or later, OS X 10.11.4 or later, or watchOS 2.2 or later. This is a straightforward OS patch deployment rather than custom code remediation.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1788 — 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-2016-1788 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