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SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2019-8559

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.2 / 7.11 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 12.2, tvOS 12.2, watchOS 5.2, Safari 12.1, iTunes 12.9.4 for Windows, iCloud for Windows 7.11. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability in WebKit allowing arbitrary code execution via malicious web content. Affects iOS 12.2 and prior, tvOS 12.2 and prior, watchOS 5.2 and prior, Safari 12.1 and prior, and iTunes/iCloud for Windows versions prior to the fixes.

MitigationApply security updates: upgrade to iOS 12.2+, tvOS 12.2+, watchOS 5.2+, Safari 12.1+, iTunes 12.9.4+ for Windows, or iCloud for Windows 7.11+. For organizations, deploy patches via MDM or software distribution tools.

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
Affected:< 12.1
IcloudApplication
Affected:< 7.11
ItunesApplication
Affected:< 12.9.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 12.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 12.2
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 5.2

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Apple software
    Check for presence of Safari, iTunes, or iCloud for Windows on the system. On Windows, open Programs and Features or check the application's About menu. On macOS, check Safari version via Safari > About Safari. On iOS devices, go to Settings > General > About. On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About. On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on iPhone and go to General > About.
    Affected if Any of these Apple products are installed and the version is below the fixed releases
  2. Check Safari version
    Open Safari and navigate to Safari > About Safari (macOS) or open Settings app > Safari > About (iOS). Compare the displayed version number to 12.1.
    Affected if Safari version is earlier than 12.1
  3. Check iTunes version on Windows
    Open iTunes and go to Help > About iTunes, or right-click the iTunes icon and select About iTunes. Compare the version to 12.9.4.
    Affected if iTunes for Windows version is earlier than 12.9.4
  4. Check iCloud for Windows version
    Open iCloud for Windows and navigate to the version information, typically found in the app's menu or About section. Compare to version 7.11.
    Affected if iCloud for Windows version is earlier than 7.11
  5. Check iOS version on device
    On the iOS device, open Settings > General > About and note the software version. Compare to 12.2.
    Affected if iOS version is earlier than 12.2
  6. Check tvOS or watchOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About to view tvOS version. On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About to view watchOS version. Compare to 12.2 for tvOS or 5.2 for watchOS.
    Affected if tvOS version is earlier than 12.2 or watchOS version is earlier than 5.2

If any installed Apple product (Safari, iTunes, iCloud for Windows, iOS, tvOS, or watchOS) has a version number lower than the fixed releases (12.1, 12.9.4, 7.11, 12.2, 12.2, 5.2 respectively), the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2019-8559.

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 5.2 / 7.11 / 12.1 or later
Fixed in 5.27.1112.1
Interim mitigation

Apply security updates: upgrade to iOS 12.2+, tvOS 12.2+, watchOS 5.2+, Safari 12.1+, iTunes 12.9.4+ for Windows, or iCloud for Windows 7.11+. For organizations, deploy patches via MDM or software distribution tools.

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,780
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2019-8559 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