CVE-2015-5757
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 · uneditedlibpthread in Apple iOS before 8.4.1 and OS X before 10.10.5 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via an app that uses a crafted syscall to interfere with locking.
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 confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability in libpthread (the POSIX threads library) in Apple iOS before 8.4.1 and OS X before 10.10.5 allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service. The attacker exploits the vulnerability by using a crafted syscall that interferes with thread locking mechanisms, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for privilege escalation.
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<= 8.4<= 10.10.4CVSS 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.
-
Check iOS version on iPhone or iPadGo to Settings > General > About on the iOS device and locate the 'Version' fieldAffected if The version displayed is 8.4 or earlier (for example, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, or 8.4)
-
Check OS X version on MacClick the Apple menu > About This Mac. The OS X version is displayed in the window that opensAffected if The version shown is 10.10.4 or earlier (for example, 10.10.0, 10.10.1, 10.10.2, 10.10.3, or 10.10.4)
-
Confirm the libpthread componentThe vulnerability exists in the libpthread system library included with iOS and OS X. This library is present by default in all affected versions listed aboveAffected if The operating system version is within the affected range, meaning libpthread contains the memory corruption flaw
A device is affected if it runs iOS 8.4 or earlier, or OS X 10.10.4 or earlier, since these versions contain the vulnerable libpthread library.
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 by updating affected devices to iOS 8.4.1 or later and OS X 10.10.5 or later.
iOS 8.4.1+ and OS X 10.10.5+ (Yosemite)
- For iOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 8.4.1 or later
- For Mac OS X: Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update and install OS X 10.10.5 (Yosemite) or later
- Alternatively, download the standalone updates from Apple's support website: https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1837 for iOS 8.4.1 and https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1836 for OS X 10.10.5
- After updating, verify the fix by checking the iOS version (Settings > General > About > Version) shows 8.4.1 or higher, or Mac OS X version (Apple menu > About This Mac) shows 10.10.5 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5757 — 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-2015-5757 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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