SafariWeb browser · Apple
CVE-2017-7161
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Safari before 11.0.2 is affected. The issue involves the "WebKit Web Inspector" component. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via special characters that trigger command injection.
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 confidenceA command injection vulnerability exists in the WebKit Web Inspector component of Safari versions prior to 11.0.2. Remote attackers can exploit this by using special characters that trigger command injection, allowing arbitrary code execution on the affected system.
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
SafariWeb browser
< 11.0.2
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
= 16.04= 17.10CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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.
-
Verify Safari is installedCheck if Apple Safari is present on the system. On macOS, look for Safari in /Applications or check via Spotlight. On Ubuntu, check installed packages for safari or webkit-based browsers.Affected if Safari is not installed on the system
-
Check Safari version numberOpen Safari and navigate to Safari > About Safari (macOS) or check the package version on Ubuntu (dpkg -l | grep safari or apt list --installed). Compare the installed version against 11.0.2.Affected if Safari version is lower than 11.0.2 (e.g., 11.0, 10.1, etc.)
-
Confirm Web Inspector is enabledOn macOS Safari, go to Safari > Settings > Advanced (or Preferences > Advanced on older versions) and check if 'Show Develop menu in menu bar' is enabled. The Web Inspector feature must be turned on for the vulnerability to be exploitable.Affected if Web Inspector is enabled (Show Develop menu is checked)
-
Identify the operating system contextNote the operating system version. This CVE affects Safari on macOS and Safari on Ubuntu Linux 16.04 and 17.10.Affected if Running Ubuntu 16.04 or 17.10 with an affected Safari version
The environment is affected if Safari is installed with a version lower than 11.0.2 AND the Web Inspector feature is enabled, particularly on macOS or Ubuntu 16.04/17.10.
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 data11.0.2
Upgrade Safari to version 11.0.2 or later to address the command injection vulnerability in the Web Inspector component.
Fix this in Safari
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-7161 — 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-2017-7161 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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