dbcve.org
TvosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2015-1086

MEDIUM · 6.9 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-04-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.2 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The Audio Drivers subsystem in Apple iOS before 8.3 and Apple TV before 7.2 does not properly validate IOKit object metadata, which 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 · high confidence

The vulnerability exists in Apple iOS and Apple TV Audio Drivers subsystem where IOKit object metadata is not properly validated. This allows a malicious crafted application to execute arbitrary code with elevated (privileged) system context.

MitigationUpgrade iOS to version 8.3 or later, or Apple TV to version 7.2 or later to obtain the vendor patch that properly validates IOKit object metadata.

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
TvosOperating system
Affected:<= 7.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:<= 8.2

CVSS 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
Local
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify your Apple device type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch (iOS) or an Apple TV. This matters because the affected version ranges differ between iOS and Apple TV.
    Affected if Device runs iOS or Apple TV firmware
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone/iPad/iPod
    On the iOS device, go to Settings > General > About and read the 'Version' field. This displays the installed iOS version number.
    Affected if iOS version is 8.2 or earlier
  3. Check Apple TV version
    On the Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and read the 'Version' field. This displays the installed tvOS/Apple TV software version number.
    Affected if Apple TV version is 7.1 or earlier
  4. Confirm vulnerability applicability
    The vulnerability requires the IOKit Audio Drivers subsystem to be present and accessible. This is standard on all iOS and Apple TV devices - the flaw is in how the driver validates IOKit object metadata, not in an optional feature.
    Affected if Running vulnerable iOS (8.2 or earlier) or Apple TV (7.1 or earlier) firmware

You are affected if your device runs iOS version 8.2 or earlier, or Apple TV version 7.1 or earlier, as these versions contain the IOKit Audio Drivers vulnerability that allows privileged code execution.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade iOS to version 8.3 or later, or Apple TV to version 7.2 or later to obtain the vendor patch that properly validates IOKit object metadata.

Fix this in Tvos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-1086 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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