CVE-2018-4187
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 11.3.1 is affected. macOS before 10.13.4 Security Update 2018-001 is affected. The issue involves the "LinkPresentation" component. It allows remote attackers to spoof the UI via a crafted URL in a text message.
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 UI spoofing vulnerability in the LinkPresentation component of iOS before 11.3.1 and macOS before 10.13.4 Security Update 2018-001 allows remote attackers to craft malicious URLs in text messages that display fake or misleading preview information, potentially tricking users into trusting malicious content.
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< 11.3.1< 10.13.4CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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.
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Check iOS version on iPhone or iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version, or use Apple Configurator, or check via iTunes/Finder when device is connectedAffected if Version is below 11.3.1 (for example, 11.3, 11.2.x, 11.1.x, etc.)
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Check macOS version on MacGo to Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal, or check System Information > Software > macOSAffected if Version is below 10.13.4 (for example, 10.13.3, 10.13.2, 10.12.x, etc.)
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Verify LinkPresentation usage contextThis vulnerability affects any app using the LinkPresentation framework to generate URL previews in messages, mail, or other apps. The component is built into iOS and macOS and processes URLs automatically when displayed.Affected if The OS version is vulnerable AND the device displays URL previews in Messages, Mail, or other apps using LinkPresentation (this is enabled by default on affected versions)
A user is affected if they are running iOS before 11.3.1 or macOS before 10.13.4 AND they use features that display link previews (such as iMessage or Mail), because maliciously crafted URLs could display fake preview information to trick users.
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.
From vendor data10.13.411.3.1
Apply Apple's security updates: update iOS devices to 11.3.1 or later, and Macs to macOS 10.13.4 Security Update 2018-001 or later.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4187 — 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-2018-4187 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
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- 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