dbcve.org
Iphone OsOperating system · Apple

CVE-2017-8248

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-08-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.3.2 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
A buffer overflow may occur in the processing of a downlink NAS message in Qualcomm Telephony as used in Apple iPhone 5 and later, iPad 4th generation and later, iPod touch 6th generation.

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

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Qualcomm Telephony firmware's handling of downlink NAS (Non-Access Stratum) messages. When processing malformed or crafted NAS messages received from the cellular network, the affected code fails to properly validate input bounds before copying data into fixed-size buffers, allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory and potentially execute arbitrary code at the baseband processor level.

MitigationApply the latest iOS security updates from Apple, which include patched Qualcomm baseband firmware. Organizations should identify and prioritize updating affected mobile devices (iPhone 5 and later, iPad 4th gen and later, iPod touch 6th gen) on their networks.

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:<= 10.3.2

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Confirm device is an iOS device
    Identify if the device is an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. On the device, go to Settings > General > About > Model Name, or check the physical device model number.
    Affected if Device is an iPhone 5 or later, iPad 4th generation or later, or iPod touch 6th generation or later
  2. Check installed iOS version
    On the iOS device, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Record the version number displayed.
    Affected if iOS version is 10.3.2 or earlier (any version up to and including 10.3.2)
  3. Verify baseband firmware version
    On the iOS device, go to Settings > General > About > Modem Firmware. This shows the baseband processor firmware version.
    Affected if The device uses Qualcomm baseband firmware; devices with Intel baseband modems are not affected by this specific Qualcomm vulnerability
  4. Confirm cellular connectivity is enabled
    Check if the device has cellular service enabled. Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data is turned on, or check for signal bars in the status bar.
    Affected if Cellular service is enabled - the vulnerability is triggered by processing malformed NAS messages received from the cellular network

A device is affected if it is an iPhone 5 or later (or iPad 4th gen/iPod touch 6th gen), runs iOS 10.3.2 or earlier, uses a Qualcomm baseband modem, and has cellular connectivity enabled.

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 10.3.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the latest iOS security updates from Apple, which include patched Qualcomm baseband firmware. Organizations should identify and prioritize updating affected mobile devices (iPhone 5 and later, iPad 4th gen and later, iPod touch 6th gen) on their networks.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 10.3.3 or later (iOS 11.x recommended if device supports)

  1. Back up your device data using iTunes or iCloud
  2. Connect your device to a computer and open iTunes
  3. Check for updates by clicking 'Check for Update' in iTunes
  4. Download and install iOS 10.3.3 or later
  5. After installation, verify the iOS version in Settings > General > About
Caveat iOS 10.3.3 is a minor update with minimal breaking changes; iOS 11 may drop support for older devices like iPhone 5 and iPad 4th gen

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

Fix this in Iphone Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2017-8248 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