dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-42852

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 logic issue was addressed with improved checks. 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 logic issue in WebKit allows arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted web content. The vulnerability was addressed with improved validation checks in Safari and Apple OS browser components.

MitigationUpdate affected Apple devices to iOS 17.1/iPadOS 17.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1, watchOS 10.1, tvOS 17.1, Safari 17.1, or iOS 16.7.2/iPadOS 16.7.2 security updates to remediate.

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
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 37
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0= 12.0
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. Identify Safari version on macOS or iOS
    On macOS: open Safari, go to Safari > About Safari. On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > Safari > About. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if Version is lower than 17.1 (or lower than 16.7.2 for the 16.x branch)
  2. Identify macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number (e.g., 14.0, 14.1, 13.x).
    Affected if macOS version is 14.0 (any build before 14.1)
  3. Identify iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About. Note the version number (e.g., 17.0, 16.7.1).
    Affected if Version is 16.7.1 or earlier, OR version is 17.0
  4. Check WebKit package version on Fedora
    Run: dnf list installed | grep -i webkit (for webkit2gtk-4.1 or webkitgtk packages)
    Affected if Package version is present from Fedora 37 (unpatched)
  5. Check WebKit package version on Debian
    Run: dpkg -l | grep -i webkit (for libwebkit2gtk-4.1-4 or webkit2gtk-4.1 packages)
    Affected if Package version corresponds to Debian 11.0 or 12.0 and has not been patched
  6. Identify tvOS or watchOS version
    On Apple TV: Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Watch: Settings app on iPhone > General > About > watchOS Version.
    Affected if tvOS version is below 17.1, or watchOS version is below 10.1

You are affected if your Apple browser/OS product version falls within any of the listed version ranges (below 17.1 for most, or specifically 14.0 for macOS, or unpatched WebKit on Fedora/Debian Linux), and you process untrusted web content with 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 10.1 / 14.1 / 16.7.2 or later
Fixed in 10.114.116.7.2
Interim mitigation

Update affected Apple devices to iOS 17.1/iPadOS 17.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1, watchOS 10.1, tvOS 17.1, Safari 17.1, or iOS 16.7.2/iPadOS 16.7.2 security updates to remediate.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apple products: Safari 17.1, iOS 17.1/iPadOS 17.1, iOS 16.7.2/iPadOS 16.7.2, macOS Sonoma 14.1, watchOS 10.1, tvOS 17.1

  1. For Safari on macOS: Update to Safari 17.1 (via macOS update to 14.1 Sonoma or standalone Safari update)
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Update to iOS 17.1 or iPadOS 17.1, or iOS 16.7.2/iPadOS 16.7.2 for older devices
  3. For macOS: Update to macOS Sonoma 14.1
  4. For Apple Watch: Update to watchOS 10.1
  5. For Apple TV: Update to tvOS 17.1
  6. Note: Fedora and Debian are listed as affected but no vendor patch information is available in the provided sources - contact Apple directly for cross-platform concerns
Caveat Standard Apple update risks - ensure backups before updating

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

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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-2023-42852 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