CVE-2018-4431
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 initialization issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue affected versions prior to iOS 12.1.1, macOS Mojave 10.14.2, tvOS 12.1.1, watchOS 5.1.2.
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 confidenceA memory initialization issue in Apple operating systems allowed improved memory handling. This vulnerability likely allowed reading of uninitialized memory, potentially exposing sensitive data. It affected iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS versions prior to their respective 12.1.1/10.14.2/5.1.2 releases.
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< 12.1.1< 10.14.2< 12.1.1< 5.1.2CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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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Identify your Apple platformDetermine which Apple operating system is running on the device: iOS (iPhone/iPad), macOS (Mac computer), tvOS (Apple TV), or watchOS (Apple Watch). This dictates which version range applies.Affected if The device runs any of these Apple operating systems without knowing the version
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Check iOS versionOn iPhone or iPad, open Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'. Compare this to 12.1.1.Affected if iOS version is lower than 12.1.1 (e.g., 12.1, 12.0, 11.x)
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Check macOS versionClick the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, select 'About This Mac', and note the version number (such as 10.14.1, 10.14.0, or earlier). Compare this to 10.14.2.Affected if macOS version is lower than 10.14.2 (e.g., 10.14.1, 10.14, 10.13)
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Check tvOS versionOn Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the displayed version number. Compare this to 12.1.1.Affected if tvOS version is lower than 12.1.1 (e.g., 12.1, 12.0, 11.x)
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Check watchOS versionOpen the Watch app on the paired iPhone, tap My Watch > General > About, and note the 'Version' entry. Alternatively, on Apple Watch go to Settings > General > About. Compare to 5.1.2.Affected if watchOS version is lower than 5.1.2 (e.g., 5.1.1, 5.1, 5.0)
A user is affected if their device runs any of these Apple OS versions: iOS < 12.1.1, macOS < 10.14.2, tvOS < 12.1.1, or watchOS < 5.1.2.
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 data5.1.210.14.212.1.1
Apply the vendor-supplied updates (iOS 12.1.1+, macOS Mojave 10.14.2+, tvOS 12.1.1+, watchOS 5.1.2+) to resolve the memory initialization flaw.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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-2018-4431 — 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-2018-4431 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