SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-32373

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-23

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.42.3 / 9.5 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

In the wild Remotely reachable No privileges

Official description

NVD · unedited

A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4, iOS 15.7.6 and iPadOS 15.7.6, Safari 16.5, iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit (Apple's browser engine) affecting iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Safari. Processing maliciously crafted web content can lead to arbitrary code execution. This is a zero-day vulnerability with confirmed active exploitation in the wild.

MitigationDeploy the available security updates (iOS 15.7.6/16.5, iPadOS 15.7.6/16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4, watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, Safari 16.5) to all affected devices as a priority, given confirmed active exploitation.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

SafariWeb browser

Affected:< 16.5

Enterprise LinuxOperating system

Affected:= 6.0= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0

IpadosOperating system

Affected:< 15.7.6>= 16.0, < 16.5

Iphone OsOperating system

Affected:>= 15.0, < 15.7.6>= 16.0, < 16.5

macOSOperating system

Affected:< 13.4

TvosOperating system

Affected:< 16.5

WatchosOperating system

Affected:< 9.5

Webkitgtk\+Web browser

Affected:< 2.42.3

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Identify the WebKit-based product in your environment

Determine whether you are using Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, or WebKitGTK+ on any system. For headless servers, check if WebKitGTK+ or WebKit-based browsers are installed.

Affected if Any WebKit-based browser or operating system component is in use without knowing its version
Check Safari version on macOS or iOS

On macOS: Open Safari > Safari menu > About Safari to view the version number. On iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > About to view the iOS/iPadOS version (Safari version matches OS version).

Affected if Safari version is earlier than 16.5, or iOS/iPadOS version is earlier than 15.7.6, or falls between 16.0 and 16.5 exclusive
Check macOS version

Click Apple menu > About This Mac to view the macOS version number.

Affected if macOS version is earlier than 13.4
Check tvOS or watchOS version

On Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone > General > About.

Affected if tvOS version is earlier than 16.5, or watchOS version is earlier than 9.5
Check WebKitGTK+ version on Linux systems

Run 'webkitgtk-4.1-version' or 'webkit2gtk-4.0-version' in the terminal, or check the installed package version via your package manager (dpkg -l webkit2gtk-4.0 or rpm -q webkit2gtk).

Affected if WebKitGTK+ version is earlier than 2.42.3

You are affected if any WebKit-based product in your environment is running a version lower than the fixed version for that product (Safari 16.5, iOS/iPadOS 15.7.6 or 16.5, macOS 13.4, tvOS 16.5, watchOS 9.5, or WebKitGTK+ 2.42.3).

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.42.3 / 9.5 / 13.4 or later

Fixed in 2.42.39.513.4

Interim mitigation

Deploy the available security updates (iOS 15.7.6/16.5, iPadOS 15.7.6/16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4, watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, Safari 16.5) to all affected devices as a priority, given confirmed active exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the fixed version: watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4, iOS 15.7.6, iPadOS 15.7.6, Safari 16.5, iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5, or WebKitGTK+ 2.42.3

Identify the affected product from the list (Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, or WebKitGTK+)
Determine the currently installed version of the affected product
For Apple products: Upgrade to the fixed version as indicated (watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4, iOS 15.7.6, iPadOS 15.7.6, Safari 16.5, iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5)
For WebKitGTK+: Upgrade to version 2.42.3 or later
Restart the device/browser after upgrading to ensure the patch is fully applied

Caveat Standard OS/browser update - review release notes for any configuration changes

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

Fix this in Safari Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

16.0 hours of engineering $2,800

Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32373 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References

Primary sources

support.apple.comRelease NotesVendor Advisory
support.apple.comRelease NotesVendor Advisory
support.apple.comRelease NotesVendor Advisory
support.apple.comRelease NotesVendor Advisory
support.apple.comRelease NotesVendor Advisory
support.apple.comRelease NotesVendor Advisory
security.gentoo.orgThird Party Advisory
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-32373 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2023-32373?

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.

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

At a glance

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2023-06-12

A fix existsUpgrade to 2.42.3 / 9.5 or later

Severity 8.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 12.2%

Affects: Safari

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Safari 16 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,800

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References