CVE-2016-4594
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 Sandbox Profiles component in Apple iOS before 9.3.3, OS X before 10.11.6, tvOS before 9.2.2, and watchOS before 2.2.2 allows attackers to access the process list via a crafted app that makes an API call.
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 confidenceA sandbox bypass vulnerability in Apple iOS, OS X, tvOS, and watchOS allows a sandboxed application to access the process list via a specific API call. This information disclosure enables attackers to enumerate running processes on the device, potentially aiding in further exploitation by revealing security software or other sensitive processes.
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< 9.3.3< 10.11.6< 9.2.2< 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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Identify the operating systemDetermine whether the device runs iOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS. On iOS, go to Settings > General > About. On macOS, click the Apple menu and select About This Mac. On tvOS, go to Settings > General > About. On watchOS, open the Watch app on a paired iPhone and go to General > About.Affected if The device runs any of the affected Apple operating systems.
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Check iOS versionOn iOS, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number. Compare it to 9.3.3.Affected if The iOS version is earlier than 9.3.3.
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Check macOS versionOn macOS, click the Apple menu, select About This Mac, and note the version number. Compare it to 10.11.6.Affected if The macOS version is earlier than 10.11.6.
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Check tvOS versionOn tvOS, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number. Compare it to 9.2.2.Affected if The tvOS version is earlier than 9.2.2.
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Check watchOS versionOn watchOS, open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, go to General > About, and note the watchOS version. Compare it to 2.2.2.Affected if The watchOS version is earlier than 2.2.2.
The device is affected if it runs iOS earlier than 9.3.3, macOS earlier than 10.11.6, tvOS earlier than 9.2.2, or watchOS earlier than 2.2.2.
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 data2.2.29.2.29.3.3
Apply the vendor-supplied OS updates: iOS 9.3.3 or later, OS X 10.11.6 or later, tvOS 9.2.2 or later, and watchOS 2.2.2 or later. Deploy via MDM or software distribution tools to ensure fleet-wide coverage.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2016-4594 — 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-2016-4594 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