dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-32445

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.6 / 13.5 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
This issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in Safari 16.6, watchOS 9.6, iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, tvOS 16.6, iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5. Processing a document may lead to a cross site scripting attack.

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 confidence

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Safari and WebKit components across Apple devices (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS). The vulnerability occurs when processing documents, allowing malicious scripts to be executed in the context of the user's session. The fix involves improved input validation/sanitization checks.

MitigationEnsure all affected Apple devices are updated to the fixed versions (iOS/iPadOS 15.7.8+, iOS/iPadOS 16.6+, macOS Ventura 13.5+, Safari 16.6+, watchOS 9.6+, tvOS 16.6+). For web applications serving documents, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and ensure proper output encoding as defense-in-depth.

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:< 16.6
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.8>= 16.0, < 16.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.7.8>= 16.0, < 16.6
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 13.0, < 13.5
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.6
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.6

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
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

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 the Apple device and browser type
    Determine whether the device is running Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS. For macOS, check if Safari is the browser in use. On iOS/iPadOS, Safari is the underlying WebKit engine for all browsers.
    Affected if Device runs any of the affected Apple operating systems or Safari browser versions
  2. Check Safari version on macOS or iOS/iPadOS
    On macOS: Open Safari > Safari menu > About Safari. On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > Safari > About. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if Safari version is earlier than 16.6
  3. Check iOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About. Note the iOS version number.
    Affected if iOS version is earlier than 15.7.8, OR between 16.0 and 16.5 (any version < 16.6)
  4. Check iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About. Note the iPadOS version number.
    Affected if iPadOS version is earlier than 15.7.8, OR between 16.0 and 16.5 (any version < 16.6)
  5. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the macOS version (Ventura 13.x).
    Affected if macOS Ventura version is 13.0 through 13.4 (any version < 13.5)
  6. Check tvOS or watchOS version
    On tvOS: Settings > General > About > Version. On watchOS: Open the Watch app on iPhone > General > About > watchOS version.
    Affected if tvOS version is earlier than 16.6, OR watchOS version is earlier than 9.6

The environment is affected if any device runs Safari < 16.6, iOS/iPadOS < 15.7.8 or >= 16.0 and < 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.0-13.4, tvOS < 16.6, or watchOS < 9.6.

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 9.6 / 13.5 / 15.7.8 or later
Fixed in 9.613.515.7.8
Interim mitigation

Ensure all affected Apple devices are updated to the fixed versions (iOS/iPadOS 15.7.8+, iOS/iPadOS 16.6+, macOS Ventura 13.5+, Safari 16.6+, watchOS 9.6+, tvOS 16.6+). For web applications serving documents, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and ensure proper output encoding as defense-in-depth.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7.8 / iOS 16.6, iPadOS 15.7.8 / iPadOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5, watchOS 9.6, tvOS 16.6, Safari 16.6

  1. Open Settings app on iPhone or iPad, or System Preferences on Mac
  2. Navigate to General > Software Update (or System Preferences > Software Update on older macOS)
  3. Ensure automatic updates are enabled or manually check for updates
  4. Install the available security update: iOS 15.7.8 / iPadOS 15.7.8 for older devices, or iOS 16.6 / iPadOS 16.6 for newer devices
  5. For Mac users running macOS Ventura, update to version 13.5
  6. For Apple Watch users, update to watchOS 9.6
  7. For Apple TV users, update to tvOS 16.6
  8. For Safari standalone users on older macOS, update to Safari 16.6 via macOS update
Caveat Standard Apple OS updates may deprecate features or drop support for older hardware; verify device compatibility before updating

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2023-32445 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