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WatchosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2015-5845

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-2015-5844 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 iOS versions before 9 allows a malicious app to execute arbitrary code at kernel privilege level or cause memory corruption leading to denial of service. The flaw is in the IOKit framework that handles device driver communication.

MitigationUpdate affected iOS devices to version 9 or later to obtain Apple's patch for this kernel vulnerability. Until updated, restrict app installation to trusted sources only.

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. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Open Settings app, tap General, tap About, and read the 'Version' field displayed (format like 8.4.1 or 9.0)
    Affected if The version number is 8.4.1 or lower (any version below 9.0)
  2. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, and check the 'Version' field
    Affected if The version shows exactly 1.0
  3. Confirm device model and OS type
    Verify whether the device is an iPhone/iPad (iOS) or Apple Watch (watchOS) by checking the device model in Settings > General > About > Model Name
    Affected if Device is an iPhone or iPad running iOS, or an Apple Watch running watchOS
  4. Compare against CVE affected ranges
    Document the exact version number found and cross-reference: iPhone OS versions <= 8.4.1 are affected; Apple WatchOS version 1.0 is affected
    Affected if The installed version falls within or below these ranges

The environment is affected if any iOS device runs version 8.4.1 or lower, or any Apple Watch runs exactly version 1.0, since the IOKit kernel vulnerability only exists in these pre-9 versions.

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 affected iOS devices to version 9 or later to obtain Apple's patch for this kernel vulnerability. Until updated, restrict app installation to trusted sources only.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 9.0 or later (iOS 9.x series)

  1. Back up your iOS device using iTunes or iCloud before starting the upgrade
  2. Connect your device to a computer and open iTunes (or use Settings > General > Software Update on the device directly)
  3. Check that your device is compatible with iOS 9 (iPhone 4s and later, iPad 2 and later, iPod touch 5th generation and later)
  4. Initiate the iOS update to version 9.0 or later through iTunes or via over-the-air update in Settings > General > Software Update
  5. After the update completes, verify the iOS version in Settings > General > About shows version 9.x
  6. For Apple Watch, the vulnerability was addressed through paired iPhone updates - ensure the paired iPhone is updated to iOS 9 or later
Caveat iOS 9 introduced some app compatibility changes; 32-bit apps may show reduced functionality; older devices (iPhone 4s, iPad 2) may experience slower performance

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

Fix this in Watchos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2015-5845 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