SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2019-8689

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.13 / 10.6 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 12.4, macOS Mojave 10.14.6, tvOS 12.4, watchOS 5.3, Safari 12.1.2, iTunes for Windows 12.9.6, iCloud for Windows 7.13, iCloud for Windows 10.6. 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

A memory corruption vulnerability in WebKit allows arbitrary code execution when a user processes maliciously crafted web content. This affects Safari, iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, iTunes for Windows, and iCloud for Windows. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling during web content processing.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches: update to iOS 12.4+, macOS Mojave 10.14.6+, tvOS 12.4+, watchOS 5.3+, Safari 12.1.2+, iTunes for Windows 12.9.6+, or iCloud for Windows 10.6+/7.13+. For enterprise environments, deploy via patch management systems and verify complete coverage.

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:< 12.1.2
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
IcloudApplication
Affected:< 7.13>= 10.0, < 10.6
ItunesApplication
Affected:< 12.9.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 12.4
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:< 10.14.6

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. Check Safari version on macOS or Windows
    Open Safari > Safari menu > About Safari. Compare the version number to 12.1.2
    Affected if Version is below 12.1.2
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About. Look at the Software Version field
    Affected if Version is below 12.4
  3. Check macOS version
    Open Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number appears below the macOS name
    Affected if Version is below 10.14.6
  4. Check iTunes version on Windows
    Open iTunes > Help > About iTunes. Note the version number
    Affected if Version is below 12.9.6
  5. Check iCloud for Windows version
    Open iCloud > click the gear icon > About iCloud. Note the version
    Affected if Version is below 7.13 or below 10.6 (depending on major version branch)
  6. Check RHEL version and WebKit presence
    Run 'cat /etc/redhat-release' to confirm RHEL 7.0. If WebKitGTK+ is installed, check with 'rpm -q webkitgtk4' or 'rpm -q webkitgtk3'
    Affected if Running RHEL 7.0 and WebKitGTK is installed and being used by applications

A user is affected if they are running any of the listed Apple products or RHEL 7.0 with WebKit, and the installed version falls below the minimum fixed version for that product.

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 7.13 / 10.6 / 10.14.6 or later
Fixed in 7.1310.610.14.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches: update to iOS 12.4+, macOS Mojave 10.14.6+, tvOS 12.4+, watchOS 5.3+, Safari 12.1.2+, iTunes for Windows 12.9.6+, or iCloud for Windows 10.6+/7.13+. For enterprise environments, deploy via patch management systems and verify complete coverage.

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-8689 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-8689 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