CVE-2018-4478
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 validation issue was addressed with improved logic. This issue is fixed in macOS High Sierra 10.13.5, Security Update 2018-003 Sierra, Security Update 2018-003 El Capitan. An attacker with physical access to a device may be able to elevate privileges.
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 confidenceThis is a validation vulnerability in macOS that allows an attacker with physical access to a device to elevate privileges to root or administrative levels. The issue was addressed through improved validation logic in the affected operating system versions.
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< 10.13.5>= 10.11, < 10.11.6>= 10.12, < 10.12.6= 10.11.6= 10.12.6CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/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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Determine your macOS versionClick the Apple menu in the top-left corner, select 'About This Mac', and note the version number displayed (e.g., 10.13.4, 10.12.5, 10.11.5). Alternatively, run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal.Affected if The version is below 10.13.5 for High Sierra, below 10.12.6 for Sierra, or below 10.11.6 for El Capitan.
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Confirm the exact OS nameIn 'About This Mac', check the OS name (macOS High Sierra, macOS Sierra, or OS X El Capitan) to map it to the correct version range for comparison.Affected if Running a version of macOS/OS X that falls within the affected version brackets for your specific OS release.
Your environment is affected if the installed macOS version is below the security update thresholds (10.11.6, 10.12.6, or 10.13.5 depending on your OS release).
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 · scoped10.11.610.12.610.13.5
Apply the available security updates: macOS High Sierra 10.13.5, Security Update 2018-003 for Sierra, or Security Update 2018-003 for El Capitan. Restrict physical access to sensitive devices as an additional safeguard.
macOS High Sierra 10.13.5, Security Update 2018-003 Sierra, or Security Update 2018-003 El Capitan (depending on current OS version)
- For macOS High Sierra (10.13.x) users: Upgrade to macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
- For macOS Sierra (10.12.x) users: Apply Security Update 2018-003 Sierra through System Preferences > Software Update
- For OS X El Capitan (10.11.x) users: Apply Security Update 2018-003 El Capitan through System Preferences > Software Update
- Alternatively, download and install the appropriate security update manually from Apple Support
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- 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-2018-4478 — 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-2018-4478 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
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