CVE-2016-1802
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 · uneditedCCCrypt in CommonCrypto in Apple iOS before 9.3.2, OS X before 10.11.5, tvOS before 9.2.1, and watchOS before 2.2.1 mishandles return values during key-length calculations, which allows attackers to obtain sensitive information 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 CCCrypt function in Apple's CommonCrypto library incorrectly handles return values during key-length calculations. This causes improper key derivation that can lead to weak encryption or information disclosure. A malicious application installed on the device can exploit this to potentially recover sensitive data processed by the crypto operations.
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< 9.3.2< 10.11.5< 9.2.1< 2.2.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 versionOn the iOS device, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version numberAffected if Version is lower than 9.3.2 (for example, 9.3.1 or earlier)
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Check macOS versionClick the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number shownAffected if Version is lower than 10.11.5 (for example, 10.11.4 or earlier)
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Check tvOS versionOn Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version numberAffected if Version is lower than 9.2.1 (for example, 9.2 or earlier)
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Check watchOS versionOpen the Watch app on the paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About and note the Version numberAffected if Version is lower than 2.2.1 (for example, 2.2.0 or earlier)
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Identify apps using CommonCrypto CCCryptReview application binaries or source code for use of the CCCrypt function from the CommonCrypto frameworkAffected if Applications use CCCrypt and the underlying OS version is vulnerable (below the patched versions listed above)
The environment is affected if any iOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS device runs a version lower than the fixed releases (9.3.2, 10.11.5, 9.2.1, or 2.2.1 respectively) and uses applications that perform cryptographic operations via CommonCrypto.
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 data2.2.19.2.19.3.2
Apply vendor-supplied patches by updating iOS to 9.3.2+, macOS to 10.11.5+, tvOS to 9.2.1+, and watchOS to 2.2.1+. Developers should rebuild any applications using CommonCrypto with updated SDKs to ensure the fixed library is linked.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1802 — 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-2016-1802 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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- 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
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