dbcve.org
Iphone OsOperating system · Apple

CVE-2015-3803

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-08-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.10.4 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Apple iOS before 8.4.1 and OS X before 10.10.5 allow local users to bypass a code-signing protection mechanism via a crafted multi-architecture executable file.

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

This vulnerability allows local users to bypass code-signing protection in iOS before 8.4.1 and OS X before 10.10.5 by using a crafted multi-architecture executable file. The flaw enables unsigned or maliciously signed code to execute by circumventing the code-signing validation mechanism that normally ensures only trusted code runs on Apple devices.

MitigationUpgrade affected devices to iOS 8.4.1 or later and OS X 10.10.5 or later to receive the security patch that addresses this code-signing bypass vulnerability.

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
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:<= 8.4
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:<= 10.10.4

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/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 checks

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

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version to see the installed iOS version number
    Affected if Version displays 8.4 or earlier (for example, 8.4, 8.3, 8.2, etc.)
  2. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac to see the OS X version number
    Affected if Version displays 10.10.4 or earlier (for example, 10.10.4, 10.10.3, 10.10.2, etc.)
  3. Verify code-signing is enabled (iOS)
    On a jailbroken iOS device, check if the device has modifications that disable code-signing enforcement; on non-jailbroken devices, code-signing is enforced by default
    Affected if Device is jailbroken with code-signing enforcement disabled, or if running a version vulnerable to CVE-2015-3803

You are affected if your device runs iOS 8.4 or earlier, or OS X 10.10.4 or earlier, and an attacker could potentially run a crafted multi-architecture executable to bypass code-signing validation.

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 10.10.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade affected devices to iOS 8.4.1 or later and OS X 10.10.5 or later to receive the security patch that addresses this code-signing bypass vulnerability.

Fix this in Iphone Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,840
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,144.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2015-3803 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