dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2015-5903

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.10.5 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
The kernel in Apple iOS before 9 allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5868 and CVE-2015-5896.

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 · moderate confidence

This is a kernel-level vulnerability in Apple iOS versions prior to 9 that allows a local attacker to escalate privileges or cause a denial of service through memory corruption. The vulnerability resides in an unspecified kernel component and is distinct from related vulnerabilities CVE-2015-5868 and CVE-2015-5896.

MitigationUpgrade affected iOS devices to version 9 or later to patch the kernel vulnerability. In enterprise environments, deploy the update via Mobile Device Management (MDM) and verify completion across all managed devices.

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
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:<= 10.10.5
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:<= 8.4.1
WatchosOperating system
Affected:= 1.0

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/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. Identify the Apple device and operating system type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone/iPad (iOS), Mac computer (Mac OS X), or Apple Watch (watchOS). This will determine which version range applies.
    Affected if Device runs iOS, Mac OS X, or watchOS and the specific OS version falls within the affected range
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Open Settings > General > About and locate the 'Version' field. Record the full version number (e.g., 8.4.1, 8.4, 8.3).
    Affected if Version displays 8.4.1 or any earlier 8.x release (such as 8.4, 8.3, 8.2, 8.1, 8.0) or any 7.x version
  3. Check Mac OS X version
    Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select 'About This Mac'. The version number is displayed (e.g., 10.10.5, 10.10.4, 10.10.3).
    Affected if Version displays 10.10.5 or any earlier 10.10.x release (such as 10.10.4, 10.10.3, 10.10.2, 10.10.1, 10.10.0)
  4. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About. The watchOS version is listed there.
    Affected if Version displays 1.0 exactly (the only affected watchOS version listed)
  5. Confirm kernel-level access is relevant to your use case
    Determine if the device allows local user access or runs third-party applications. The vulnerability requires local attacker access to exploit memory corruption in the kernel.
    Affected if The device is used in an environment where untrusted local users could execute code (shared devices, multi-user systems, or devices running unsigned applications)

The environment is affected if the device runs Mac OS X 10.10.5 or earlier, iOS 8.4.1 or earlier, or watchOS 1.0, and supports local user access that could trigger kernel-level memory corruption.

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 10.10.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade affected iOS devices to version 9 or later to patch the kernel vulnerability. In enterprise environments, deploy the update via Mobile Device Management (MDM) and verify completion across all managed devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 9 or later for iPhone/iPad; OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) or later for Mac; watchOS 2.0 or later for Apple Watch

  1. 1. Back up all important data on the device before performing any upgrade.
  2. 2. For iPhone/iPad: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 9 or later.
  3. 3. For Mac: Download and install OS X El Capitan (10.11) or later from the Mac App Store, or use Software Update.
  4. 4. For Apple Watch: Pair with a paired iPhone running iOS 9 or later and update watchOS through the Watch app.
  5. 5. After updating, verify the kernel version confirms the fix is applied.
Caveat Upgrading to iOS 9 may cause older 32-bit apps to become incompatible; ensure critical business apps are supported before upgrading

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

Fix this in Mac Os X 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-2015-5903 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