dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-38594

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.6 / 13.5 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
The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5, Safari 16.6, watchOS 9.6. Processing 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 · moderate confidence

A vulnerability in Apple ecosystem products (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, Safari) allows arbitrary code execution when processing malicious web content. The fix involved improved validation checks, suggesting the vulnerability stemmed from insufficient input validation or logic errors in web content processing components.

MitigationApply the available security updates: iOS 15.7.8/16.6+, iPadOS 15.7.8/16.6+, macOS Ventura 13.5+, tvOS 16.6+, watchOS 9.6+, Safari 16.6+. Prioritize patches on devices that process untrusted web content.

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
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 the Apple device and Safari version
    On macOS: open Safari and go to Safari > About Safari. On iOS/iPadOS: open Settings > Safari > About. On tvOS/watchOS: open Settings > General > About.
    Affected if Safari version is earlier than 16.6, which means the vulnerability is present and the device could be exploited when processing malicious web content.
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Open Settings > General > About and note the version number (for example, 16.5 or 15.7.7).
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is earlier than 15.7.8, or falls between 16.0 and 16.5.x, meaning the device is vulnerable when processing untrusted web content.
  3. Check macOS version
    Open System Settings > General > About, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal, and note the version (for example, 13.4).
    Affected if macOS version is 13.0 through 13.4.x, indicating the WebKit vulnerability is present and could be exploited via malicious web content.
  4. Check tvOS or watchOS version
    Open Settings > General > About on Apple TV or Apple Watch, and note the version number.
    Affected if tvOS is earlier than 16.6 or watchOS is earlier than 9.6, making the device vulnerable when processing malicious web content.

If the installed Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS version falls within any of the affected ranges listed, the device is vulnerable when processing untrusted web content.

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

Apply the available security updates: iOS 15.7.8/16.6+, iPadOS 15.7.8/16.6+, macOS Ventura 13.5+, tvOS 16.6+, watchOS 9.6+, Safari 16.6+. Prioritize patches on devices that process untrusted web content.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. For iPhone and iPod touch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 15.7.8 or iOS 16.6
  2. For iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 15.7.8 or iPadOS 16.6
  3. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.5
  4. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 16.6
  5. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.6
  6. For Safari: Update through macOS system update to Safari 16.6, or on iOS/iPadOS update to the iOS/iPadOS versions containing the fixed Safari (16.6)

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38594 — 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 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-2023-38594 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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