dbcve.org
WatchosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2015-5844

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.4.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
IOKit in the kernel in Apple iOS before 9 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted app, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5845 and CVE-2015-5846.

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

IOKit kernel vulnerability in Apple iOS before version 9 allows a malicious app to execute arbitrary code in a privileged kernel context or cause memory corruption leading to denial of service. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling in the IOKit framework.

MitigationUpdate iOS devices to version 9 or later to apply Apple's kernel patch. Organizations should verify all managed iOS devices are running iOS 9+ and implement patch management policies to ensure timely updates.

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
WatchosOperating system
Affected:= 1.0
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:<= 8.4.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the Apple device type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone/iPad (iOS) or an Apple Watch (watchOS). Check the device model and the OS it runs.
    Affected if Device is an Apple Watch running watchOS 1.0, or an iPhone/iPad running iOS 8.4.1 or earlier
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About > Version to view the installed iOS version. Alternatively, connect to a computer with iTunes or Finder and check the device information panel.
    Affected if The displayed version is 8.4.1 or lower (any version <= 8.4.1)
  3. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    On the Apple Watch, open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About to view the watchOS version. Alternatively, check in the Apple Watch app under Settings on the watch itself.
    Affected if The displayed version is 1.0 (the only affected watchOS version listed)
  4. Confirm IOKit framework presence
    This is a kernel-level vulnerability in the IOKit framework. All iOS devices running the affected versions contain this framework by default. No additional configuration check is needed as IOKit is a core system component.
    Affected if Device runs an affected iOS version (8.4.1 or earlier) - the vulnerable IOKit code is present regardless of device configuration

A user is affected if their Apple Watch runs watchOS 1.0, or if their iPhone/iPad runs iOS version 8.4.1 or earlier.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.4.1
Interim mitigation

Update iOS devices to version 9 or later to apply Apple's kernel patch. Organizations should verify all managed iOS devices are running iOS 9+ and implement patch management policies to ensure timely updates.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 9 (and corresponding latest compatible watchOS)

  1. Back up your iOS device using iTunes or iCloud before proceeding with the update
  2. Connect your iOS device to a computer and open iTunes, or ensure your device is connected to Wi-Fi for over-the-air update
  3. Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update on the device to check for iOS 9 or later
  4. Download and install iOS 9 or later to address the IOKit kernel vulnerability (CVE-2015-5844)
  5. If using an Apple Watch, update watchOS to the latest version compatible with your device through the Watch app on your iPhone
Caveat Some older apps may be incompatible with iOS 9; legacy devices may have limited feature support

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Watchos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation0.5 h
  • Testing0.5 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 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.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5844 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2015-5844 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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