CVE-2012-0646
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 · uneditedFormat string vulnerability in VPN in Apple iOS before 5.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted racoon configuration file.
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 confidenceFormat string vulnerability in the VPN racoon daemon in Apple iOS versions before 5.1. The vulnerability allows arbitrary code execution when iOS processes a crafted racoon configuration file, likely through improper handling of user-controlled format strings in logging or configuration parsing functions.
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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Check iOS version on deviceNavigate to Settings > General > About on the iOS device and locate the Version field, or use Xcode or a mobile device management (MDM) tool to query the iOS version programmaticallyAffected if Version is below 5.1 (e.g., 5.0.x, 4.x series)
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Verify VPN racoon daemon configurationInspect the racoon configuration file on the device. On a jailbroken device, this is typically located at /var/racoon/*.conf or /etc/racoon/*.conf. Check for any custom or third-party VPN profiles installed.Affected if A racoon VPN configuration file exists and is loaded by the iOS VPN subsystem
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Confirm VPN is enabled or configuredCheck if any VPN profiles are installed on the device via Settings > VPN, or query the device's configuration profiles using iPCU (iPhone Configuration Utility) or MDMAffected if VPN profiles using racoon (IPSec-based VPN) are present or active on the device
The device is affected if it runs iOS versions prior to 5.1 AND has VPN racoon configuration files or profiles loaded on the system.
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
Update affected iOS devices to version 5.1 or later to obtain Apple's patch for this vulnerability.
iOS 5.1
- Back up your iOS device data
- Connect device to iTunes (or Finder on macOS)
- Check for system updates and download iOS 5.1 or later
- Apply the update to patch the format string vulnerability in the VPN (racoon) component
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0646 — 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-2012-0646 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