CVE-2018-4436
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 certificate validation issue existed in configuration profiles. This was addressed with additional checks. This issue affected versions prior to iOS 12.1.1, 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 · high confidenceA certificate validation flaw existed in Apple configuration profiles used by iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. The vulnerability allowed improper or absent certificate validation, potentially enabling man-in-the-middle attacks or acceptance of malicious certificates when devices installed configuration profiles.
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< 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 Apple Configurator 2 or MDM to query device OS versionAffected if Version is below 12.1.1 and configuration profiles are installed on the device
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version, or query through MDM/enrollment profileAffected if Version is below 12.1.1 and configuration profiles are installed on the device
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the paired iPhone in the Watch app, or query through MDMAffected if Version is below 5.1.2 and configuration profiles are installed on the device
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Identify installed configuration profilesOn iOS: Settings > General > Profile (or Profiles & Device Management). On tvOS: Settings > General > Profiles. On watchOS: Check via paired iPhone Watch app > General > ProfileAffected if Any configuration profile is installed on a device running an affected OS version
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Review MDM-enrolled devices for OS versionsQuery MDM server (such as Apple Device Enrollment Program or third-party MDM) for device OS inventory reportsAffected if MDM shows devices enrolled with iOS < 12.1.1, tvOS < 12.1.1, or watchOS < 5.1.2 that have configuration profiles assigned
A device is affected if it runs iOS, tvOS, or watchOS versions below the fixed releases AND has configuration profiles installed, as the certificate validation flaw only applies when configuration profiles are used.
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 data5.1.212.1.1
Update affected devices to iOS 12.1.1 or later, tvOS 12.1.1 or later, and watchOS 5.1.2 or later. For enterprise environments, deploy updates via MDM or ensure users apply system updates.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4436 — 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-2018-4436 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