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IcloudApplication · Apple

CVE-2018-4302

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4 / 10.13 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 null pointer dereference was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS High Sierra 10.13, iCloud for Windows 7.0, watchOS 4, iOS 11, iTunes 12.7 for Windows. Processing maliciously crafted XML may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

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 null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in XML parsing functionality across multiple Apple products (macOS, iOS, watchOS, iTunes, iCloud for Windows). Processing maliciously crafted XML triggers the null dereference, potentially causing denial of service or arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches for the affected products (macOS High Sierra 10.13+, iOS 11+, watchOS 4+, iTunes 12.7 for Windows+, iCloud for Windows 7.0+). Prioritize patching systems that process untrusted XML input.

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
IcloudApplication
Affected:<= 7.0
ItunesApplication
Affected:< 12.7
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 11
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:< 10.13
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 4

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Identify installed Apple product
    Determine which affected Apple product is installed on the system: iCloud for Windows, iTunes, macOS, iOS, or watchOS. Check Program Files for iCloud/iTunes on Windows, or System Information on macOS.
    Affected if Any of these Apple products are present on the system
  2. Check iCloud for Windows version
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or right-click iCloud in the Start menu and select Properties. Look for the version number in the Details tab.
    Affected if Version is 7.0 or lower (any version <= 7.0)
  3. Check iTunes version
    Open iTunes and go to Help > About iTunes, or check the version in Programs and Features on Windows.
    Affected if Version is lower than 12.7 (any version < 12.7)
  4. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number is displayed under the macOS name.
    Affected if Version is lower than 10.13 (any version < 10.13, such as 10.12.x, 10.11.x, etc.)
  5. Check iOS or watchOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About. The version number is displayed next to the device name.
    Affected if iOS version is lower than 11, or watchOS version is lower than 4

The system is affected if any installed Apple product (iCloud <=7.0, iTunes <12.7, macOS <10.13, iOS <11, or watchOS <4) is present and processes untrusted XML input.

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 4 / 10.13 / 11 or later
Fixed in 410.1311
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches for the affected products (macOS High Sierra 10.13+, iOS 11+, watchOS 4+, iTunes 12.7 for Windows+, iCloud for Windows 7.0+). Prioritize patching systems that process untrusted XML input.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS High Sierra 10.13 / iOS 11 / watchOS 4 / iCloud for Windows 7.0 / iTunes 12.7 (depending on product)

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 11 or later
  2. For Mac: Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Software Update and upgrade to macOS High Sierra 10.13 or later
  3. For Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > Software Update and upgrade to watchOS 4 or later
  4. For iCloud for Windows: Download and install iCloud for Windows 7.0 or later from Apple's website
  5. For iTunes on Windows: Download and install iTunes 12.7 or later from Apple's website

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

Fix this in Icloud Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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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-2018-4302 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