CVE-2014-4496
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 · uneditedThe mach_port_kobject interface in the kernel in Apple iOS before 8.1.3 and Apple TV before 7.0.3 does not properly restrict kernel-address and heap-permutation information, which makes it easier for attackers to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism 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 · high confidenceThe mach_port_kobject kernel interface in iOS and Apple TV improperly exposes kernel addresses and heap permutation information to user-space applications. This information leakage allows a malicious app to defeat ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) by revealing memory layout details, making subsequent kernel exploitation significantly easier.
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<= 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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 iPadNavigate to Settings > General > About on the iOS device and locate the 'Version' fieldAffected if The version number is 8.1.2 or lower (for example, 8.1, 8.0, 7.x)
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Check Apple TV versionNavigate to Settings > General > About on Apple TV and locate the 'Version' fieldAffected if The version number is 7.0.1 or lower (for example, 7.0, 6.x)
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Identify the exact iOS build if version is ambiguousOn iOS, look at the 'Build' field in Settings > General > About; compare against known build numbers for 8.1.2 (like 12B440) and earlierAffected if The build number corresponds to iOS 8.1.2 or earlier
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Verify the device model is within affected product lineConfirm the device is an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS, or an Apple TV model running the affected tvOS versionsAffected if The device runs iOS or Apple TV software and the version falls within the affected range
A user is affected if their device runs iOS 8.1.2 or earlier, or Apple TV 7.0.1 or earlier, because the vulnerable mach_port_kobject interface in those versions exposes kernel addresses.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade affected devices to iOS 8.1.3 or later, or Apple TV 7.0.3 or later, to obtain Apple's patch that properly restricts kernel-address disclosure in the mach_port_kobject interface.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4496 — 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-2014-4496 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