Secuno
ENNL
Book demo

CVE-2023-42916

Apple Multiple Products WebKit Out-of-Bounds Read

6.5 MEDIUMActively exploited (CISA KEV)EPSS 17.8%
  1. Published30 Nov 2023
  2. Added to CISA KEV4 Dec 2023
  3. Remediation due25 Dec 2023
Actively exploited (CISA KEV)

Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Safari WebKit contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that may disclose sensitive information when processing maliciously crafted web content. This vulnerability could impact HTML parsers that use WebKit, including but not limited to Apple Safari and non-Apple products which rely on WebKit for HTML processing.

Added to KEV: 4 Dec 2023Federal remediation due: 25 Dec 2023

Description

An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, macOS Sonoma 14.1.2, Safari 17.1.2. Processing web content may disclose sensitive information. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.7.1.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Affected products

Apple Safari< 17.1.2
Webkitgtk Webkitgtk+< 2.42.3
Apple iPadOS≥ 16.0 < 16.7.3 · ≥ 17.0 < 17.1.2 · < 15.8.1
Apple iPhone OS≥ 16.0 < 16.7.3 · ≥ 17.0 < 17.1.2 · < 15.8.1
Apple macOS≥ 14.0 < 14.1.2
Debian Linux11.0 · 12.0
Fedoraproject Fedora38 · 39

Remediation

Fixed in
Apple Safari≥ 17.1.2
Webkitgtk Webkitgtk+≥ 2.42.3
Apple iPadOS≥ 16.7.3
Apple iPhone OS≥ 16.7.3
Apple macOS≥ 14.1.2

References

and 9 more references

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

CVE-2026-1078378.2
RIOT is an open-source microcontroller operating system designed for Internet of Things…
CVE-2026-78269.1
A heap-based out-of-bounds read in the BufferSerializerIOv2_ReadBuffer function…
CVE-2026-823348.1
IBM Guardium Data Protection 12.0, 12.1, 12.2 is vulnerable to a heap-based…
CVE-2026-144968.2
IBM DataPower Gateway 10.5.0.0 through 10.5.0.22, 10.6.1 through 10.6.6, 10.6.0.0…
CVE-2026-764578.6
As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the…
CVE-2026-772148.2
libexpat before commit 13c5f63 contains a heap buffer over-read vulnerability in…

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2023-42916 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2023-42916 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 4 Dec 2023.

How severe is CVE-2023-42916?

CVE-2023-42916 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5, rated medium. EPSS estimates a 17.8% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2023-42916?

Affected products include Apple Safari, Webkitgtk Webkitgtk+, Apple iPadOS, Apple iPhone OS, Apple macOS, and 2 more.

How do I fix CVE-2023-42916?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Apple Safari 17.1.2, Webkitgtk Webkitgtk+ 2.42.3, Apple iPadOS 16.7.3 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2023-42916 against the real software inventory on every managed device, as each hourly inventory arrives. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, a risk for it never ranks below high, and the update that fixes it moves to the Emergency patch lane. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

See how prioritisation worksBook a demo

Get Patch this first every Monday

Five vulnerabilities that matter this week, ranked on real exploitation. Plain language, one email, no spam.

You can unsubscribe with one click from every issue. We handle your details as described in our privacy policy.

Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.