dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-38600

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 · high confidence

This is a WebKit vulnerability in Apple's operating systems and Safari browser that allows arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted web content. The fix involves improved security checks in the web content processing path.

MitigationUpdate all affected Apple devices (iOS 16.6+, iPadOS 16.6+, tvOS 16.6+, macOS Ventura 13.5+, Safari 16.6+, watchOS 9.6+) to the patched versions. Deploy via MDM or direct user notification.

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 macOS version on the device
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or check System Settings > About This Mac
    Affected if The version is 13.0, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, or 13.4 (any version >= 13.0 but < 13.5)
  2. Check Safari browser version
    Open Safari > About Safari or run 'defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString' in Terminal
    Affected if The version is earlier than 16.6
  3. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About or connect to computer and check via Finder/iTunes
    Affected if The version is earlier than 16.6
  4. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About or connect to computer and check via Finder
    Affected if The version is earlier than 16.6
  5. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About on the Apple TV device
    Affected if The version is earlier than 16.6
  6. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, or check on the Watch via Settings > General > About
    Affected if The version is earlier than 9.6

A device is affected if it runs any of the listed Apple operating systems or Safari browser below the minimum patched versions, and if it processes untrusted web content through 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 9.6 / 13.5 / 16.6 or later
Fixed in 9.613.516.6
Interim mitigation

Update all affected Apple devices (iOS 16.6+, iPadOS 16.6+, tvOS 16.6+, macOS Ventura 13.5+, Safari 16.6+, watchOS 9.6+) to the patched versions. Deploy via MDM or direct user notification.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. For iOS devices (iPhone): Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 16.6 or later
  2. For iPadOS devices: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 16.6 or later
  3. For macOS Ventura (13.0-13.4): Navigate to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Ventura 13.5
  4. For tvOS devices: Navigate to Settings > General > Apple TV Software Update and install tvOS 16.6 or later
  5. For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 9.6 or later
  6. Safari 16.6 is included with the macOS Ventura 13.5 and iOS/iPadOS 16.6 updates
Caveat Standard point-release update; back up device before updating as routine precaution

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,240.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38600 — 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-2023-38600 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