Apple iOS/iPadOS up to 16.3 Web Contents use after free

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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Current Exploit Price (≈)
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CTI Interest Score
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7.4$5k-$25k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Apple iOS and iPadOS up to 16.3. It has been classified as critical. Affected is an unknown function of the component Web Contents Handler. The manipulation leads to use after free. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2023-28198. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Apple iOS and iPadOS up to 16.3 (Smartphone Operating System) and classified as critical. This issue affects an unknown code block of the component Web Contents Handler. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3. Processing web content may lead to arbitrary code execution.

The weakness was disclosed 08/15/2023. The advisory is shared at support.apple.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2023-28198 since 03/13/2023. It demands that the victim is doing some kind of user interaction. Neither technical details nor an exploit are publicly available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 07/26/2025). It is expected to see the exploit prices for this product increasing in the near future.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 242791 (NewStart CGSL MAIN 7.02 : webkitgtk Multiple Vulnerabilities (NS-SA-2025-0160)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 16.4 eliminates this vulnerability.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (242791). Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

Vendor

Name

Version

License

Website

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 7.6
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 7.4

VulDB Base Score: 6.3
VulDB Temp Score: 6.0
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 8.8
NVD Vector: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Use after free
CWE: CWE-416 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍

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Nessus ID: 242791
Nessus Name: NewStart CGSL MAIN 7.02 : webkitgtk Multiple Vulnerabilities (NS-SA-2025-0160)

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔍

Upgrade: iOS/iPadOS 16.4

Timelineinfo

03/13/2023 🔍
08/15/2023 +154 days 🔍
08/15/2023 +0 days 🔍
07/26/2025 +711 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: apple.com

Advisory: support.apple.com
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2023-28198 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2023-28198
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-237137
scip Labs: https://www.scip.ch/en/?labs.20150917

Entryinfo

Created: 08/15/2023 09:26
Updated: 07/26/2025 06:23
Changes: 08/15/2023 09:26 (41), 09/09/2023 09:12 (11), 07/26/2025 06:23 (17)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

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