dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2022-46696

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.2 / 13.1 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
A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in Safari 16.2, tvOS 16.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2. 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 (Apple's browser engine) allows arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted web content. The issue was addressed through improved input validation. Affects Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches by updating affected Apple devices to Safari 16.2, tvOS 16.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS/iPadOS 16.2, or watchOS 9.2 or later.

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:< 16.2
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 16.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 13.1
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.2
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.2

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. Check Safari version on macOS
    Open Safari, click Safari menu > About Safari, or run 'defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString' in Terminal
    Affected if Version is below 16.2
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device, or connect to computer and check in Finder/iTunes
    Affected if Version is below 16.2
  3. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal
    Affected if Version is below 13.1 (Ventura)
  4. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TV
    Affected if Version is below 16.2
  5. Check watchOS version
    Open Settings app on Apple Watch > General > About, or check via paired iPhone Watch app
    Affected if Version is below 9.2
  6. Confirm WebKit usage (if using third-party browser)
    Identify if any applications or browsers using WebKit engine are in use (common on iOS/macOS) - the vulnerability triggers when processing web content
    Affected if Any WebKit-based application processes untrusted web content on an affected version

The environment is affected if any Apple device runs Safari below 16.2, iOS/iPadOS below 16.2, macOS below 13.1, tvOS below 16.2, or watchOS below 9.2, and processes untrusted web content via WebKit.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.2 / 13.1 / 16.2 or later
Fixed in 9.213.116.2
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches by updating affected Apple devices to Safari 16.2, tvOS 16.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS/iPadOS 16.2, or watchOS 9.2 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.2 / iPadOS 16.2 / macOS Ventura 13.1 / tvOS 16.2 / watchOS 9.2 / Safari 16.2

  1. For iOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to iOS 16.2
  2. For iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to iPadOS 16.2
  3. For macOS: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and update to macOS Ventura 13.1, or download Safari 16.2 separately for older macOS versions
  4. For tvOS: Go to Settings > General > Apple TV Software Update and update to tvOS 16.2
  5. For watchOS: On iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and update to watchOS 9.2
Caveat Major OS version upgrades may cause compatibility issues with older applications; backup data before updating

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

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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-2022-46696 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