CVE-2019-8528
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 use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in watchOS 5.2, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra, Security Update 2019-002 Sierra, iOS 12.2. An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel 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 · high confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in the kernel allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. Apple addressed this with improved memory management in the affected OS 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< 12.2>= 10.13.6, < 10.14.4< 5.2CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 iPadGo to Settings > General > About and note the version number next to 'Version'Affected if The version is lower than 12.2 (for example, 12.1.4, 12.1.3, etc.)
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Check macOS version on MacClick the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number appears below the macOS name (for example, 10.14.3, 10.13.6)Affected if The version is 10.14.3 or lower, or between 10.13.6 and 10.14.3 (10.13.6, 10.13.6.x, 10.14.0-10.14.3)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, and note the 'WatchOS' versionAffected if The version is lower than 5.2 (for example, 5.1.3, 5.0, etc.)
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Confirm last security update installationOn Mac: check System Preferences > Security & Privacy for 'Last Security Update' date. On iOS: check Settings > General > Software Update for latest available updateAffected if The installed security updates are older than the patches released for this CVE (iOS 12.2, watchOS 5.2, macOS 10.14.4 or Security Update 2019-002)
You are affected if your device runs any iOS version before 12.2, any watchOS version before 5.2, or macOS versions 10.13.6 through 10.14.3.
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 data5.210.14.412.2
Apply the available Apple security updates: iOS 12.2, watchOS 5.2, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, Security Update 2019-002 for High Sierra, or Security Update 2019-002 for Sierra.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-8528 — 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-2019-8528 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