dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2016-4646

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-07-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.11.5 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
Audio in Apple OS X before 10.11.6 mishandles a size value, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via a crafted audio file.

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 confidence

This vulnerability exists in the audio handling component of Apple OS X versions prior to 10.11.6. The software mishandles a size value when processing audio files, leading to an out-of-bounds memory read. This can allow remote attackers who deliver a specially crafted audio file to either read sensitive memory contents or cause the application to crash.

MitigationApply the official Apple security update by upgrading to OS X 10.11.6 or later, which contains the patched audio handling code.

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
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:<= 10.11.5

CVSS 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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check your installed OS X version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version displayed is 10.11.5 or earlier (versions 10.11.5 and below are affected)
  2. Confirm the OS build number for patch level
    Run: uname -a in Terminal to see kernel and build details
    Affected if The system is running an unpatched build prior to the 10.11.6 security update
  3. Identify if audio processing applications are in use
    Check for installed audio applications such as QuickTime, iTunes, or third-party audio tools in /Applications
    Affected if Audio handling software is present and could process malicious audio files

You are affected if your OS X version is 10.11.5 or earlier AND you process audio files from potentially untrusted sources, as the vulnerability exists in the core audio handling component of these versions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 10.11.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the official Apple security update by upgrading to OS X 10.11.6 or later, which contains the patched audio handling code.

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-4646 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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