CVE-2024-44192: Apple Safari DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-44192 Overview

CVE-2024-44192 is a denial-of-service vulnerability affecting Apple's WebKit-based browser engine across Safari and multiple Apple operating systems. Processing maliciously crafted web content can trigger an unexpected process crash. Apple addressed the issue with improved checks in Safari 18, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia 15, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and watchOS 11. The vulnerability is tracked under [CWE-400] (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption). The Debian LTS project also shipped a corresponding update for the webkit2gtk package.

Critical Impact
A user who loads attacker-controlled web content in a vulnerable Apple browser or WebKit-based application can experience an unexpected process crash, disrupting browsing sessions and any embedded WebKit workflows.

Affected Products

Apple Safari (prior to Safari 18)
Apple iOS and iPadOS (prior to 18), macOS (prior to Sequoia 15)
Apple tvOS 18, visionOS 2, watchOS 11, and Debian webkit2gtk

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-10 - CVE-2024-44192 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-44192

Vulnerability Analysis

The flaw resides in WebKit, the browser engine underpinning Safari and multiple Apple platform components. Apple's advisories state that processing maliciously crafted web content can lead to an unexpected process crash. The issue is categorized as [CWE-400] Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, indicating that specific web content can drive WebKit into a state that exhausts resources or violates internal invariants, causing the content process to terminate.

Apple's fix summary indicates the root problem was insufficient validation of input state during content processing, resolved through additional runtime checks. The impact is limited to availability; the CVSS vector reports no confidentiality or integrity effect, and user interaction is required to load the malicious content.

Root Cause

Apple describes the remediation as "addressed with improved checks," indicating that WebKit accepted or processed web content states that its downstream code was not prepared to handle safely. When those states were encountered, the WebKit content process reached an unrecoverable condition and terminated. Apple has not published low-level technical details beyond the advisory summary.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires a user to render attacker-controlled web content in a vulnerable WebKit build. Delivery paths include navigating to a malicious website, opening HTML email that renders in a WebKit surface, or loading a crafted document inside a WebKit-based application. The resulting crash is confined to the WebKit content process and does not, based on Apple's advisory, yield code execution or data disclosure.

No verified proof-of-concept code has been published. Refer to the Apple security advisory for Safari 18 and the Debian LTS announcement for vendor-provided technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-44192

Indicators of Compromise

Repeated crashes of Safari, com.apple.WebKit.WebContent, or other WebKit-hosted processes correlated with visits to a specific URL or domain.
Crash reports in ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ referencing WebKit content-process termination immediately after page loads.
MDM or endpoint telemetry showing devices running Safari, iOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS versions predating the September 2024 fixes.

Detection Strategies

Inventory Apple endpoints and correlate installed Safari and OS versions against the fixed builds listed in Apple advisories 121238, 121240, 121241, 121248, 121249, and 121250.
Alert on clusters of WebKit content-process crashes originating from the same URL, referrer, or user population, which may indicate targeted delivery.
Enrich web proxy or DNS logs with reputation data to flag known malicious hosts that could deliver crafted WebKit payloads.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward macOS and iOS crash telemetry into your SIEM or data lake to detect anomalous WebKit termination rates.
Track patch compliance dashboards for Safari 18, iOS/iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia 15, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and watchOS 11 rollout.
Monitor Debian LTS advisories for webkit2gtk package updates on Linux systems that embed WebKit.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-44192

Immediate Actions Required

Apply Apple's September 2024 security updates: Safari 18, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia 15, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and watchOS 11.
On Debian systems, upgrade webkit2gtk to the version referenced in the Debian LTS announcement.
Enforce update compliance through MDM policies for managed Apple fleets and block enrollment for devices below the fixed builds.

Patch Information

Apple resolved CVE-2024-44192 with improved checks in Safari 18 and in the operating system releases documented at Apple Support 121238, 121240, 121241, 121248, 121249, and 121250. Debian LTS released a matching webkit2gtk update via its June 2025 announcement.

Workarounds

Restrict browsing to trusted sites and enable web filtering or DNS-based reputation controls until patches are deployed.
Use enterprise browser policies to disable auto-loading of untrusted content in email and messaging clients that embed WebKit.
Where feasible, route web traffic through inspection proxies that can block known malicious payload hosts identified in threat intelligence.

bash

# Verify Safari and macOS versions against the fixed builds
sw_vers
/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari --version

# Debian: upgrade webkit2gtk to the LTS-fixed version
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37 libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0