CVE-2016-9642
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 · uneditedJavaScriptCore in WebKit allows attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds heap read) via a crafted Javascript 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 · moderate confidenceJavaScriptCore in WebKit contains an out-of-bounds heap read vulnerability that can be triggered by a specially crafted JavaScript file, leading to denial of service.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 WebKit installationsCheck for browsers or applications using WebKit (e.g., Safari, older Chrome, Epiphany, Midori, WebKitGTK+ applications). On Linux, run: dpkg -l | grep -i webkit or rpm -qa | grep -i webkit. On macOS, check /Applications for Safari.Affected if WebKit-based software is installed and no security update has been applied
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Determine WebKit versionFor Safari: About Safari > More Info > WebKit version. For webkitgtk: run webkit2gtk-4.0-version or pkg-config --modversion webkit2gtk-4.0. For command-line, check: /System/Library/Frameworks/WebKit.framework/Resources/Version.plist on macOS or the package manager query on Linux.Affected if The installed version predates the security fix (the specific patched version must be obtained from WebKit security advisories)
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Confirm JavaScript is enabledCheck browser or application settings: In Safari, go to Preferences > Security > Enable JavaScript. In WebKitGTK applications, check for JavaScriptCore enablement in application settings or configuration files.Affected if JavaScript execution is allowed, as the exploit requires specially crafted JavaScript to trigger the out-of-bounds read
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Check for recent security updatesOn Linux: check package changelogs for webkit2gtk or webkitgtk security patches. On macOS: softwareupdate --list or check Apple security updates for WebKit. On iOS: check Settings > General > Software Update.Affected if No recent WebKit security patches have been installed, indicating the vulnerability remains unfixed
A defender is affected if WebKit-based software is present with JavaScript enabled and the installed version has not received the CVE-2016-9642 security patch.
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 dataUpdate WebKit to the latest version containing the security fix. Until then, restrict JavaScript execution to trusted sources only.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-9642 — 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-2016-9642 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