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8.8
HIGH CVSS 3.0
CVE-2016-4688
Apple FontParser Remote Code Execution and Denial of Service Vulnerability
Description

An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.1 is affected. macOS before 10.12.1 is affected. tvOS before 10.0.1 is affected. watchOS before 3.1 is affected. watchOS before 3.1.3 is affected. The issue involves the "FontParser" component. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (buffer overflow and application crash) via a crafted font.

INFO

Published Date :

Feb. 20, 2017, 8:59 a.m.

Last Modified :

April 20, 2025, 1:37 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !

Source :

[email protected]
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2016-4688 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Apple mac_os_x
2 Apple tvos
3 Apple watchos
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 3
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 2.0 MEDIUM [email protected]
CVSS 3.0 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
This vulnerability in Apple products can be remediated by updating to the latest versions.
  • Upgrade to the latest available version of iOS.
  • Upgrade to the latest available version of macOS.
  • Upgrade to the latest available version of tvOS.
  • Upgrade to the latest available version of watchOS.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2016-4688.

URL Resource
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94572 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037469 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://support.apple.com/HT207269 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT207270 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT207271 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT207275 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT207487 Vendor Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94572 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037469 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://support.apple.com/HT207269 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT207270 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT207271 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT207275 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT207487 Vendor Advisory
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2016-4688 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2016-4688 weaknesses.

CAPEC-8: Buffer Overflow in an API Call Buffer Overflow in an API Call CAPEC-9: Buffer Overflow in Local Command-Line Utilities Buffer Overflow in Local Command-Line Utilities CAPEC-10: Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables CAPEC-14: Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow CAPEC-24: Filter Failure through Buffer Overflow Filter Failure through Buffer Overflow CAPEC-42: MIME Conversion MIME Conversion CAPEC-44: Overflow Binary Resource File Overflow Binary Resource File CAPEC-45: Buffer Overflow via Symbolic Links Buffer Overflow via Symbolic Links CAPEC-46: Overflow Variables and Tags Overflow Variables and Tags CAPEC-47: Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion CAPEC-100: Overflow Buffers Overflow Buffers CAPEC-123: Buffer Manipulation Buffer Manipulation

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2016-4688 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2016-4688 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108

    Nov. 21, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94572
    Added Reference http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037469
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/HT207269
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/HT207270
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/HT207271
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/HT207275
    Added Reference https://support.apple.com/HT207487
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    May. 14, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • Modified Analysis by [email protected]

    Mar. 22, 2019

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Reference Type https://support.apple.com/HT207275 No Types Assigned https://support.apple.com/HT207275 Vendor Advisory
    Changed Reference Type http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037469 No Types Assigned http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037469 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
    Changed Reference Type https://support.apple.com/HT207487 No Types Assigned https://support.apple.com/HT207487 Vendor Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://support.apple.com/HT207269 No Types Assigned https://support.apple.com/HT207269 Vendor Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://support.apple.com/HT207271 No Types Assigned https://support.apple.com/HT207271 Vendor Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://support.apple.com/HT207270 No Types Assigned https://support.apple.com/HT207270 Vendor Advisory
    Changed Reference Type http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94572 No Types Assigned http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94572 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
    Changed CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 10.0 OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.1
    Changed CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 10.12.0 OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 10.12.1
    Changed CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 10.0 OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 10.0.1
    Changed CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 2.2.2 OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 3.1.3
  • CPE Deprecation Remap by [email protected]

    Mar. 08, 2019

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:apple_tv:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 10.0.0 OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 10.0.0
  • CPE Deprecation Remap by [email protected]

    Oct. 30, 2018

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:watch_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 3.1.1 OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 2.2.2
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Jul. 27, 2017

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037469 [No Types Assigned]
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Feb. 21, 2017

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V2 (AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P)
    Added CVSS V3 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-119
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:apple_tv:10.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* (and previous)
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.12.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* (and previous)
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:apple_tv:10.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* (and previous)
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:apple:watch_os:3.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* (and previous)
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Feb. 21, 2017

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94572 [No Types Assigned]
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 8.8
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact
Base CVSS Score: 6.8
Access Vector
Access Complexity
Authentication
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact
Exploit Prediction

EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days.

1.33 }} 0.30%

score

0.78966

percentile