CVE-2015-1066
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 · uneditedOff-by-one error in IOAcceleratorFamily in Apple OS X through 10.10.2 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 confidenceAn off-by-one error in the IOAcceleratorFamily kernel extension in Apple OS X through version 10.10.2 allows a malicious crafted application to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, likely achieving kernel-level code execution.
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<= 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
- 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 installed OS X versionRun 'sw_vers' in Terminal or click Apple menu > About This Mac to view the OS X version numberAffected if Version is 10.10.2 or earlier (10.10, 10.9.x, etc.)
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Verify IOAcceleratorFamily kernel extension presenceRun 'kextstat | grep -i IOAcceleratorFamily' in Terminal to confirm the kernel extension is loadedAffected if The extension is loaded (standard in OS X, so this is normally true for any install)
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Confirm security update statusCheck System Preferences > Software Update or run 'softwareupdate --history' in Terminal for installed updatesAffected if The Apple security update (SA2015-001 or later) is NOT installed
A user is affected if their OS X version is 10.10.2 or earlier AND the SA2015-001 security update has not been applied, meaning the IOAcceleratorFamily kernel extension contains the unpatched off-by-one vulnerability.
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 relevant Apple security update (SA2015-001 or subsequent) to patch the IOAcceleratorFamily vulnerability. Organizations should deploy the update through their patch management infrastructure and verify successful installation.
macOS Sierra (10.12) or later; ideally upgrade to a currently supported macOS version such as macOS Ventura (13) or macOS Sonoma (14) if hardware-compatible
- Backup your Mac using Time Machine or other backup solution
- Verify your current OS X version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
- Download and install macOS Sierra or later from the Mac App Store (or a newer supported macOS version if your hardware permits)
- After installation, verify the fix by checking System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General to ensure you have the latest security updates
- Alternatively, if you cannot upgrade to a newer macOS version, check for Apple security updates via Apple menu > App Store > Updates
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 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 $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-1066 — 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-2015-1066 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