dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2023-42890

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.2 / 14.2 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 Safari 17.2, macOS Sonoma 14.2, watchOS 10.2, iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2, tvOS 17.2. 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 processing of malicious web content to lead to arbitrary code execution. The fix involves improved memory handling, suggesting the original issue was a memory corruption flaw such as a buffer overflow or use-after-free.

MitigationApply the available security updates (Safari 17.2, macOS Sonoma 14.2, watchOS 10.2, iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2, tvOS 17.2) to all affected Apple devices to remediate the vulnerability.

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:< 17.2
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 17.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 17.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 14.0, < 14.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 17.2
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 10.2

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 your Apple device and operating system
    Determine whether you are using an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch, and note the installed operating system (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS)
    Affected if You are using any Apple device listed in the affected products
  2. Check macOS version on Mac computers
    Open System Settings > About, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal, and note the macOS version number
    Affected if The macOS version is 14.0 (Sonoma) or 14.1.x (the vulnerability is fixed in macOS 14.2)
  3. Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Open Settings > General > About, and note the version number
    Affected if The iOS or iPadOS version is earlier than 17.2 (the vulnerability is fixed in iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2)
  4. Check Safari version on macOS
    Open Safari > About Safari, or check the version in Applications folder
    Affected if Safari version is earlier than 17.2 on macOS
  5. Check tvOS or watchOS version on Apple TV or Apple Watch
    On Apple TV: go to Settings > General > About. On Apple Watch: open the Watch app on iPhone > General > About
    Affected if tvOS is earlier than 17.2 or watchOS is earlier than 10.2

Your environment is affected if any Apple device or browser (Safari) you use is running a version lower than the fixed releases: macOS 14.2, iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2, tvOS 17.2, watchOS 10.2, or Safari 17.2.

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 10.2 / 14.2 / 17.2 or later
Fixed in 10.214.217.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates (Safari 17.2, macOS Sonoma 14.2, watchOS 10.2, iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2, tvOS 17.2) to all affected Apple devices to remediate the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Safari 17.2, macOS Sonoma 14.2, watchOS 10.2, iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2, tvOS 17.2

  1. Identify the affected Apple device and current OS version
  2. For iOS devices (iPhone/iPad): Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 17.2 or later
  3. For macOS: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install macOS Sonoma 14.2 or later
  4. For watchOS: On iPhone, open Watch app > General > Software Update and install watchOS 10.2 or later
  5. For tvOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install tvOS 17.2 or later
  6. For Safari (standalone): Ensure macOS is updated to 14.2 which includes Safari 17.2, or download Safari 17.2 from Apple if available for your system
  7. Verify the update was successful by checking the version number in each device's settings

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,520
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,632.

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-2023-42890 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