CVE-2016-4718
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in FontParser in Apple iOS before 10, OS X before 10.12, tvOS before 10, and watchOS before 3 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via a crafted font 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 confidenceBuffer overflow in Apple's FontParser component allows remote attackers to craft malicious font files that overflow a buffer, enabling them to read sensitive information from the process memory space. This affects iOS versions before 10, OS X before 10.12, tvOS before 10, and watchOS before 3.
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< 10.0< 10.12.0< 10.0< 3.0CVSS 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 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 shown is less than 10.0 (for example, 9.x)
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Check macOS version on MacClick the Apple menu > About This Mac to view the OS X/macOS versionAffected if The version shown is less than 10.12.0 (for example, 10.11.x or earlier)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV deviceAffected if The version shown is less than 10.0 (for example, 9.x)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on paired iPhone > My Watch > General > About to view watchOS versionAffected if The version shown is less than 3.0 (for example, 2.x)
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Confirm FontParser is in useFontParser is a system component that processes font files automatically whenever fonts are opened or previewed - no manual configuration check neededAffected if The system processes font files, which is standard behavior on all affected Apple devices
You are affected if any of your Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch) run an OS version below 10.0 for iOS/tvOS/watchOS or below 10.12.0 for macOS.
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 data3.010.010.12.0
Apply vendor-supplied patches by updating affected Apple devices to iOS 10+, macOS 10.12+, tvOS 10+, or watchOS 3+. Implement network-level controls to block untrusted font file sources and consider disabling font preview features until patches are applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4718 — 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-2016-4718 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