CVE-2012-0642
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 · uneditedInteger underflow in Apple iOS before 5.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (device crash) via a crafted catalog file in an HFS disk image.
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 confidenceInteger underflow vulnerability in Apple's HFS (Hierarchical File System) disk image handling code in iOS versions prior to 5.1. The vulnerability exists in the catalog file parsing logic, where an attacker can trigger an underflow condition with a specially crafted catalog entry, leading to memory corruption that enables remote code execution or causes kernel panic (device crash).
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< 5.1CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine iOS versionOn the iOS device, go to Settings > General > About and view the Version field, or check via iTunes when the device is connectedAffected if Version is below 5.1 (such as 5.0, 4.x, or earlier)
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Identify HFS disk image handling capabilityCheck if the iOS device has functionality to mount or open HFS-formatted disk images - this may occur through email attachments, third-party file management apps, or certain accessory connectionsAffected if The device can mount HFS disk images and is running iOS version less than 5.1
A device is affected if it runs any iOS version prior to 5.1 and has the capability to mount HFS disk images, which could be triggered by opening a specially crafted HFS catalog entry.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped5.1
Upgrade iOS devices to version 5.1 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. Avoid mounting untrusted HFS disk images from unknown sources.
iOS 5.1
- Connect your iOS device to a computer with iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and later)
- Create a backup of your device data using iTunes or Finder
- Open iTunes or Finder and select your connected iOS device
- Click on 'Check for Update' or 'Update' to check for the latest iOS version
- Download and install iOS 5.1 or later when prompted
- Ensure the device remains connected throughout the update process
- After installation completes, verify the iOS version by going to Settings > General > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0642 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-0642 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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