CVE-2015-1061
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 · uneditedIOSurface in Apple iOS before 8.2, Apple OS X through 10.10.2, and Apple TV before 7.1 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context via a crafted app that leverages "type confusion" during serialized-object handling.
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 confidenceIOSurface in Apple iOS, OS X, and Apple TV contains a type confusion vulnerability in its serialized-object handling mechanism. This allows a specially crafted application to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context, potentially achieving elevated system access.
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<= 7.0.3<= 8.1.3<= 10.10.2CVSS 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 iPhone or iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version, or run 'sw_vers' via terminal if you have developer tools, or check via MDM/enterprise mobile device management consoleAffected if Version is 8.1.3 or earlier (the version number displayed will be less than or equal to 8.1.3)
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Check OS X version on MacClick Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal, or check via enterprise endpoint management toolsAffected if Version is 10.10.2 or earlier (the OS X release number displayed will be 10.10.2 or lower, such as 10.10.0, 10.9.x, etc.)
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Check Apple TV versionGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV device, or check via Apple Configurator if managedAffected if Version is 7.0.3 or earlier (the tvOS version displayed will be 7.0.3 or lower)
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Confirm IOSurface component is presentOn OS X, run 'kextstat | grep -i IOSurface' in Terminal to verify the IOSurface kernel extension is loaded; on iOS, this is a private framework present by default in the systemAffected if IOSurface is loaded and accessible (this is the default state in affected versions; the vulnerability exists whenever IOSurface is present)
You are affected if any device runs iOS 8.1.3 or earlier, OS X 10.10.2 or earlier, or tvOS 7.0.3 or earlier, as these versions contain the vulnerable IOSurface component with the type confusion flaw.
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 the vendor-supplied patches: update iOS to 8.2 or later, OS X to 10.10.2 or later, and Apple TV to 7.1 or later.
iOS 8.2+, tvOS 7.1+, OS X 10.10.3+
- For iOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 8.2 or later
- For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Update and upgrade to Apple TV 7.1 or later
- For Mac: Go to Apple Menu > Software Update and upgrade to OS X 10.10.3 or later
- Alternatively, download the latest iOS, tvOS, or OS X from Apple's official site and install via iTunes or direct installer
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-1061 — 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-2015-1061 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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- 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
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