dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-42875

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 / 14.0 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable

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
Processing web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, watchOS 10, tvOS 17, Safari 17. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

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 malicious web content. This affects multiple Apple platforms including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Safari.

MitigationApply vendor patches by updating to iOS 17 and later, macOS Sonoma 14 and later, watchOS 10 and later, tvOS 17 and later, or Safari 17 and later.

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:< 17.0
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 14.0
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 17.0
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 10.0

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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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 the Apple platform and Safari version
    On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version. On macOS: Safari > About Safari or System Settings > General > About. On tvOS/watchOS: Settings > General > About > Version. Record the exact version number.
    Affected if Safari version is earlier than 17.0, or the underlying OS version is earlier than the patch threshold for that platform (iOS < 17.0, iPadOS < 17.0, macOS < 14.0, tvOS < 17.0, watchOS < 10.0)
  2. Confirm WebKit is in use
    WebKit is the rendering engine for Safari and all third-party browsers on iOS. On macOS, Safari uses WebKit by default. No configuration check needed, WebKit is always enabled in affected browsers.
    Affected if Any use of Safari or any browser that relies on the system WebKit framework on affected OS versions
  3. Check if JavaScript is enabled in the browser
    On iOS: Settings > Safari > JavaScript. On macOS: Safari > Settings > Security > Enable JavaScript. The vulnerability is triggered when processing malicious web content.
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled (this is the default and required for the exploit to execute)
  4. Verify patch status via software update
    On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > Software Update. On macOS: System Settings > General > Software Update. On Apple Watch: Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > General > Software Update. On Apple TV: Settings > General > Software Update > Update Software.
    Affected if A software update is available and has not been installed, meaning the system remains on an affected version

The environment is affected if Safari or any WebKit-based browser is running on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS versions earlier than 17.0 (or 14.0 for macOS, 10.0 for watchOS) and JavaScript is enabled, which allows processing of malicious web content to trigger the memory handling flaw.

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 10.0 / 14.0 / 17.0 or later
Fixed in 10.014.017.0
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches by updating to iOS 17 and later, macOS Sonoma 14 and later, watchOS 10 and later, tvOS 17 and later, or Safari 17 and later.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, watchOS 10, tvOS 17, Safari 17

  1. Upgrade iOS devices to iOS 17.0 or later
  2. Upgrade iPadOS devices to iPadOS 17.0 or later
  3. Upgrade macOS systems to macOS Sonoma (14.0) or later
  4. Upgrade Apple Watch devices to watchOS 10.0 or later
  5. Upgrade Apple TV devices to tvOS 17.0 or later
  6. Upgrade Safari to version 17.0 or later (included in macOS Sonoma 14)

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-2023-42875 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