dbcve.org
Airport Base Station FirmwareOperating system · Apple

CVE-2019-8581

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.8.1 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 was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.8.1, AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.9.1. 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 AirPort Base Station firmware allows remote attackers to leak memory contents due to insufficient input validation. This memory disclosure issue carries a CVSS 9.8 critical rating, indicating ease of exploitation and significant potential impact on confidentiality.

MitigationUpdate AirPort Base Station firmware to version 7.8.1 or 7.9.1 (or later) which contains the improved input validation fix. If the device cannot be updated, isolate it on a restricted network segment to limit attack surface.

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
Airport Base Station FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 7.8.1

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. Confirm device is an AirPort Base Station
    Identify the network device model. The AirPort Base Station includes AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule (AirPort Time Capsule) wireless routers. Check the physical device label or network device inventory.
    Affected if The device is any model of Apple AirPort Base Station (AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, or AirPort Time Capsule).
  2. Access the AirPort Base Station management interface
    Open AirPort Utility on a Mac (Applications > AirPort Utility) or iOS device, or log in to the device web interface if available. The device must be on the same network.
    Affected if The management interface is accessible, indicating an active AirPort device.
  3. Locate the firmware version information
    In AirPort Utility, select the Base Station and click Edit, then navigate to the Version tab to view the firmware version number. On the web interface, check the status or administration page for firmware version details.
    Affected if A firmware version number is displayed (for example, 7.6.9 or 7.8.0).
  4. Compare the installed firmware version to the affected range
    Note the firmware version displayed and compare it numerically to version 7.8.1. Versions below 7.8.1 are affected; versions 7.8.1, 7.9.1, and later are fixed.
    Affected if The firmware version is lower than 7.8.1 (for example, 7.7.9, 7.6.9, or any version below 7.8.1), indicating the device is vulnerable to CVE-2019-8581.

If the device is an AirPort Base Station running firmware version below 7.8.1, the environment is affected by this out-of-bounds read vulnerability.

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 7.8.1 or later
Fixed in 7.8.1
Interim mitigation

Update AirPort Base Station firmware to version 7.8.1 or 7.9.1 (or later) which contains the improved input validation fix. If the device cannot be updated, isolate it on a restricted network segment to limit attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

AirPort Base Station Firmware 7.9.1

  1. Locate the AirPort Base Station management interface (typically via AirPort Utility).
  2. Initiate a firmware update and install AirPort Base Station Firmware version 7.9.1 (or version 7.8.1).

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

Fix this in Airport Base Station Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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-2019-8581 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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