CVE-2014-4487
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in IOHIDFamily in Apple iOS before 8.1.3, Apple OS X before 10.10.2, and Apple TV before 7.0.3 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context via a crafted app.
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 · moderate confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in the IOHIDFamily kernel extension (Human Input Device driver) in Apple iOS before 8.1.3, OS X before 10.10.2, and Apple TV before 7.0.3 allows a maliciously crafted application to execute arbitrary code with privileged (kernel-level) context.
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<= 8.1.2<= 10.10.1<= 7.0.1CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/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 iPhone or iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version and note the displayed version numberAffected if Version is 8.1.2 or lower (the device is running iOS 8.1.2 or earlier)
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Check macOS version on MacClick the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the OS X version number displayedAffected if Version is 10.10.1 or lower (the device is running OS X 10.10.1 or earlier)
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Check Apple TV software versionGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV deviceAffected if Version is 7.0.1 or lower (the device is running Apple TV software 7.0.1 or earlier)
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Verify IOHIDFamily kernel extension is present on macOSOpen Terminal and run: kextstat | grep -i IOHIDFamilyAffected if The IOHIDFamily kernel extension is loaded (this extension manages human input devices and is standard on Mac systems)
A system is affected if it runs iOS 8.1.2 or earlier, OS X 10.10.1 or earlier, or Apple TV 7.0.1 or earlier, and the IOHIDFamily kernel extension is present (which it normally is on these devices).
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 · scopedApply vendor-supplied patches by updating to iOS 8.1.3 or later, OS X 10.10.2 or later, or Apple TV 7.0.3 or later; deploy through enterprise mobile device management where applicable.
iOS 8.1.3 / OS X 10.10.2 / tvOS 7.0.3
- For iOS devices: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 8.1.3 or later
- For Mac computers: Go to Apple Menu > Software Update and upgrade to OS X 10.10.2 or later
- For Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to tvOS 7.0.3 or later
- After upgrading, verify the system is running the fixed version via Settings > General > About (iOS) or System Preferences > Software Update (Mac)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4487 — 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-2014-4487 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