dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-38611

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 memory handling. 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

A memory handling vulnerability in WebKit allows arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted web content. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling in Safari 16.6 and associated Apple OS updates.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to iOS 16.6/iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5, Safari 16.6, or watchOS 9.6 as listed in the CVE advisory.

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 version on macOS or iOS
    On macOS: Open Safari, go to Safari menu > About Safari. On iOS/iPadOS: Open Settings app > Safari > About. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if The version shown is less than 16.6 (for example, 16.5.x or earlier)
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Open the Settings app > General > About. Note the iOS version number displayed next to 'Version'.
    Affected if The version shown is less than 16.6 (for example, 16.5.x or earlier)
  3. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Open the Settings app > General > About. Note the iPadOS version number displayed next to 'Version'.
    Affected if The version shown is less than 16.6 (for example, 16.5.x or earlier)
  4. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac (or System Settings > About on newer macOS). Note the version number shown (such as 13.x).
    Affected if The version shown is 13.0, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, or 13.4 (versions 13.0 through 13.4 are affected)
  5. Check tvOS version
    Open Settings app > General > About. Note the tvOS version number displayed next to 'Version'.
    Affected if The version shown is less than 16.6 (for example, 16.5.x or earlier)
  6. Check watchOS version
    On Apple Watch: Open Settings app > General > About. Note the watchOS version. Alternatively, open the Watch app on paired iPhone > My Watch > General > About.
    Affected if The version shown is less than 9.6 (for example, 9.5.x or earlier)

The environment is affected if any of the installed Apple operating systems or Safari browser match the affected version ranges (Safari/iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS below 16.6/9.6, or macOS Ventura between 13.0 and 13.4 inclusive).

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 affected devices to iOS 16.6/iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5, Safari 16.6, or watchOS 9.6 as listed in the CVE advisory.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5, Safari 16.6, watchOS 9.6 (depending on product)

  1. Update iOS to version 16.6 or later
  2. Update iPadOS to version 16.6 or later
  3. Update tvOS to version 16.6 or later
  4. Update macOS Ventura to version 13.5 or later
  5. Update Safari to version 16.6 or later
  6. Update watchOS to version 9.6 or later
  7. To update, go to Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS, System Preferences > Software Update on macOS, or Settings > General > Software Update on tvOS/watchOS

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

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-2023-38611 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