dbcve.org
Iphone OsOperating system · Apple

CVE-2019-8547

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.2 / 10.14.4 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
An out-of-bounds read issue existed that led to the disclosure of kernel memory. This was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Mojave 10.14.5, Security Update 2019-003 High Sierra, Security Update 2019-003 Sierra, watchOS 5.2, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra, Security Update 2019-002 Sierra, iOS 12.2. A remote attacker may be able to leak memory.

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 confidence

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Apple's kernel allowed a remote attacker to read kernel memory, potentially exposing sensitive data. The issue was addressed through improved input validation and fixed via security updates for macOS, iOS, and watchOS.

MitigationApply the relevant security updates (Security Update 2019-003/002 for macOS, iOS 12.2, watchOS 5.2) to all affected Apple devices to remediate this vulnerability.

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
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 12.2
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.12.6, < 10.14.5>= 10.14.3, < 10.14.4
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 5.2

CVSS 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Apple device and operating system
    Determine whether the device runs macOS, iOS, or watchOS. For macOS, run 'sw_vers' in Terminal. For iOS, go to Settings > General > About. For watchOS, open the Watch app on a paired iPhone and check the watch's About section.
    Affected if Device runs any of the affected Apple operating systems (macOS, iOS, or watchOS)
  2. Check macOS version if applicable
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or check System Preferences > About This Mac. Compare the output version against the affected ranges: 10.12.6 through 10.14.4 (excluding 10.14.5), and specifically 10.14.3 through 10.14.4.
    Affected if The macOS version is 10.12.6 to 10.14.4 inclusive, or 10.14.3 to 10.14.4 inclusive (excluding 10.14.5)
  3. Check iOS version if applicable
    On the iOS device, go to Settings > General > About > Version to view the installed iOS version. Compare against the affected range.
    Affected if The iOS version is earlier than 12.2 (for example, 12.1.x, 12.0.x, 11.x, etc.)
  4. Check watchOS version if applicable
    Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, select your watch, then go to General > About to view the watchOS version. Compare against the affected range.
    Affected if The watchOS version is earlier than 5.2 (for example, 5.1.x, 5.0.x, 4.x, etc.)

A user is affected if their device runs macOS 10.12.6 through 10.14.4 (excluding 10.14.5), iOS any version below 12.2, or watchOS any version below 5.2.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.2 / 10.14.4 / 10.14.5 or later
Fixed in 5.210.14.410.14.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant security updates (Security Update 2019-003/002 for macOS, iOS 12.2, watchOS 5.2) to all affected Apple devices to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 12.2 / macOS Mojave 10.14.5 / watchOS 5.2 / Security Update 2019-003 (for macOS High Sierra/Sierra)

  1. Identify the affected Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch)
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to iOS 12.2 or later
  3. For Mac: Click Apple menu > About This Mac > Software Update and update to macOS Mojave 10.14.5 (or apply Security Update 2019-003/2019-002 for older macOS versions)
  4. For Apple Watch: On paired iPhone, open Watch app > General > Software Update and update to watchOS 5.2 or later
  5. After updating, verify the fix by checking Settings > General > About shows the updated version number

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Iphone Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-8547 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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