dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-38595

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 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 Safari and Safari-based web rendering components across iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, macOS, and watchOS allows arbitrary code execution when processing malicious web content. The fix implements improved validation checks during web content processing.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 16.6+/iPadOS 16.6+, tvOS 16.6+, macOS Ventura 13.5+, Safari 16.6+, or watchOS 9.6+.

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:< 16.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 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. Check Safari browser version on macOS
    Open Safari, click Safari menu > About Safari. The version number appears next to the Safari logo.
    Affected if Version is earlier than 16.6 (for example, 16.5.x or earlier)
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About. The version number is shown next to 'Software Version'.
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is earlier than 16.6 (for example, 16.5.x or earlier)
  3. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number appears below the macOS name (for example, '13.4', '13.3').
    Affected if macOS version is 13.0 through 13.4 (Ventura) - versions 13.5 and later are fixed
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About TV. The version number is displayed next to 'Version'.
    Affected if tvOS version is earlier than 16.6 (for example, 16.5.x or earlier)
  5. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    On iPhone, open Watch app > My Watch > General > About. The version number appears next to 'Version'. Alternatively, check on the watch via Settings > General > About.
    Affected if watchOS version is earlier than 9.6 (for example, 9.5.x or earlier)

You are affected if Safari is below 16.6, or if iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS is below 16.6/9.6 respectively, or if macOS Ventura is between 13.0 and 13.4.

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 / 16.6 or later
Fixed in 9.613.516.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 16.6+/iPadOS 16.6+, tvOS 16.6+, macOS Ventura 13.5+, Safari 16.6+, or watchOS 9.6+.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5, Safari 16.6, or watchOS 9.6 (depending on device type)

  1. Identify the affected Apple device/product (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Check the current OS/browser version (Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS, System Settings > About on macOS, Settings > General > About on tvOS/watchOS)
  3. If version is below the fixed release (iOS < 16.6, iPadOS < 16.6, macOS < 13.5, tvOS < 16.6, watchOS < 9.6, Safari < 16.6), initiate the software update
  4. On iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and download/install the update
  5. On macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install the update
  6. On tvOS/watchOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the update
  7. After update, verify the version matches the fixed release (iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, macOS 13.5, tvOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6, Safari 16.6)
Caveat Standard OS upgrade considerations apply - review app compatibility and backup data before upgrading

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-38595 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