CVE-2018-4461
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 input validation. 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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Apple devices stemming from insufficient input validation. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple operating systems (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) in versions prior to the patched releases. Successful exploitation could allow arbitrary code execution or denial of service via corrupted memory access.
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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Apple operating systemDetermine which Apple OS is running on the device: iOS (iPhone/iPad), macOS (Mac), tvOS (Apple TV), or watchOS (Apple Watch). This can be done via Settings > General > About on iOS/tvOS/watchOS, or System Report or About This Mac on macOS.Affected if The device runs any of these Apple operating systems without knowing the version
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Check the installed iOS versionOn iOS devices, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number. Alternatively, connect to iTunes or Finder and view the device information.Affected if The iOS version is lower than 12.1.1
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Check the installed macOS versionOn macOS, click the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number will display as "macOS [version]" or "OS X [version]".Affected if The macOS version is lower than 10.14.2
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Check the installed tvOS versionOn Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version to view the tvOS build number and version.Affected if The tvOS version is lower than 12.1.1
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Check the installed watchOS versionOn Apple Watch, open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, or check Settings > General > About on the watch itself.Affected if The watchOS version is lower than 5.1.2
The device is affected if it runs any unpatched version of iOS below 12.1.1, macOS below 10.14.2, tvOS below 12.1.1, or watchOS below 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 vendor-supplied patches: update to iOS 12.1.1+, macOS Mojave 10.14.2+, tvOS 12.1.1+, or watchOS 5.1.2+ as appropriate for the affected device.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4461 — 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-2018-4461 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