CVE-2018-4331
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 · uneditedA memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue affected versions prior to iOS 12, macOS Mojave 10.14, tvOS 12, watchOS 5.
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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Apple iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS that was addressed through improved memory handling. The flaw existed in versions prior to iOS 12, macOS Mojave 10.14, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5. The CVSS 9.8 score indicates trivial exploitability with potential for complete system compromise.
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< 12.0< 10.14< 12< 5.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS version on iPhone or iPadOpen Settings > General > About > Version, or use the command 'sw_vers' via SSH/terminal if availableAffected if Version number is less than 12.0 (e.g., 11.x or earlier)
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Check macOS version on Mac computersClick Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in TerminalAffected if Version is earlier than 10.14 (macOS Mojave)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV deviceAffected if Version is less than 12.0
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOn paired iPhone, open Watch app > My Watch > General > AboutAffected if Version is less than 5.0
A system is affected if it runs any iOS version below 12.0, macOS version below 10.14, tvOS version below 12, or watchOS version below 5.0.
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.
dbcve · scoped5.010.1412
Apply vendor updates to upgrade to iOS 12 or later, macOS Mojave 10.14 or later, tvOS 12 or later, and watchOS 5 or later. For systems that cannot be updated, implement network segmentation and restrict exposure to untrusted networks.
iOS 12.0, macOS Mojave 10.14, tvOS 12, watchOS 5.0
- For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 12.0 or later
- For Mac: Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS Mojave 10.14 or later
- For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 12 or later
- For Apple Watch: On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 5.0 or later
- Alternatively, connect each device to power and WiFi and say 'Hey Siri, install the latest software update' on compatible devices
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4331 — 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-2018-4331 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