dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-41976

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.1 / 14.1 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
A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1, watchOS 10.1, iOS 16.7.2 and iPadOS 16.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.1, Safari 17.1, tvOS 17.1. 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 use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit allows processing of malicious web content to trigger improper memory management, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple operating systems and Safari when handling crafted web content.

MitigationUpdate all affected Apple devices (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, Safari) to the versions specified in Apple's security advisory: iOS 17.1+, iPadOS 17.1+, iOS 16.7.2+, iPadOS 16.7.2+, macOS Sonoma 14.1+, Safari 17.1+, watchOS 10.1+, tvOS 17.1+.

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:< 17.1
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 16.7.2>= 17.0, < 17.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 16.7.2>= 17.0, < 17.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 14.0, < 14.1
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 17.1
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 10.1

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
    Open Safari, go to Safari menu > About Safari. Look for the version number in the window that appears.
    Affected if Version is shown as anything less than 17.1 (for example, 17.0.x or earlier)
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Open Settings app, tap General, tap About. Look for the 'iOS' version entry.
    Affected if iOS version is below 16.7.2, OR between 17.0 and 17.0.x (any version less than 17.1)
  3. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Open Settings app, tap General, tap About. Look for the 'iPadOS' version entry.
    Affected if iPadOS version is below 16.7.2, OR between 17.0 and 17.0.x (any version less than 17.1)
  4. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac. Look for the macOS version name and build number.
    Affected if macOS is Sonoma 14.0 or 14.0.x (any version below 14.1)
  5. Check tvOS or watchOS version
    Open Settings app on Apple TV or Apple Watch, go to General > About, look for the version number.
    Affected if tvOS is any version below 17.1, OR watchOS is any version below 10.1

The device is vulnerable if it runs any affected Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS Sonoma 14.0, tvOS, or watchOS version listed, and processes untrusted web content through Safari or any app that uses the WebKit rendering engine.

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 10.1 / 14.1 / 16.7.2 or later
Fixed in 10.114.116.7.2
Interim mitigation

Update all affected Apple devices (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, Safari) to the versions specified in Apple's security advisory: iOS 17.1+, iPadOS 17.1+, iOS 16.7.2+, iPadOS 16.7.2+, macOS Sonoma 14.1+, Safari 17.1+, watchOS 10.1+, tvOS 17.1+.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 17.1, iPadOS 17.1, iOS 16.7.2, iPadOS 16.7.2, macOS 14.1, Safari 17.1, tvOS 17.1, or watchOS 10.1 depending on device

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Safari browser)
  2. Check the current installed version of the operating system or Safari
  3. For iOS 17.x and iPadOS 17.x devices: upgrade to iOS 17.1/iPadOS 17.1
  4. For iOS 16.x and iPadOS 16.x devices: upgrade to iOS 16.7.2/iPadOS 16.7.2
  5. For macOS Sonoma (14.x) devices: upgrade to macOS 14.1
  6. For Safari on older macOS: upgrade to Safari 17.1
  7. For Apple TV (tvOS) devices: upgrade to tvOS 17.1
  8. For Apple Watch devices: upgrade to watchOS 10.1
Caveat Standard OS/software update considerations apply; backup data before updating as a precaution

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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-2023-41976 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