CVE-2018-4225
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 11.4 is affected. macOS before 10.13.5 is affected. iCloud before 7.5 on Windows is affected. iTunes before 12.7.5 on Windows is affected. watchOS before 4.3.1 is affected. The issue involves the "Security" component. It allows local users to bypass intended restrictions on Keychain state modifications.
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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Apple's Security component affecting iOS, macOS, iCloud, iTunes, and watchOS. It allows a local user to bypass intended restrictions on Keychain state modifications, potentially enabling unauthorized changes to the secure credential storage system.
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< 11.4< 10.13.5< 4.3.1< 7.5< 12.7.5CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 Xcode/Apple Configurator to read the iOS versionAffected if Version is less than 11.4 and the device uses Keychain for credential storage
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Check macOS version on MacClick Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in TerminalAffected if Version is less than 10.13.5 and Keychain Access is used for local credential management
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, or check via iOS Settings > General > About > Apple WatchAffected if Version is less than 4.3.1 and Keychain syncing via iCloud is enabled
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Check iCloud for Windows versionOpen iCloud control panel or Microsoft Store app, or check installed programs list in Windows Control PanelAffected if Version is less than 7.5 and iCloud Keychain sync is enabled for Windows
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Check iTunes for Windows versionOpen iTunes > Help > About iTunes, or check in Windows Programs and FeaturesAffected if Version is less than 12.7.5 and iTunes is used to manage device backups with Keychain data
The system is affected if any of the installed Apple products (iOS, macOS, watchOS, iCloud for Windows, or iTunes for Windows) is below the patched version AND Keychain functionality is actively used or synced.
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 data4.3.17.510.13.5
Update affected Apple products to the patched versions: iOS 11.4+, macOS 10.13.5+, iCloud 7.5+ (Windows), iTunes 12.7.5+ (Windows), and watchOS 4.3.1+. This is a standard patch management exercise.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4225 — 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-2018-4225 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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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.
- 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