CVE-2019-8767
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 consumption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Catalina 10.15.1, Security Update 2019-001, and Security Update 2019-006, macOS Catalina 10.15. Processing a maliciously crafted string may lead to heap corruption.
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 confidenceHeap corruption vulnerability in macOS Catalina's string processing logic. Processing a maliciously crafted string leads to heap memory corruption, which can potentially be leveraged for arbitrary code execution. The issue stems from improper memory handling during string operations.
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< 10.15CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or click Apple menu > About This Mac to view the macOS version numberAffected if The installed version is any release lower than 10.15 (for example, 10.14.x, 10.13.x, or earlier)
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Confirm the system is a MacVerify the machine is running macOS rather than another operating system by checking System Preferences or running 'uname -a'Affected if The system is running macOS with a version below 10.15
A system is affected if it runs any macOS version prior to 10.15 (Catalina), as the heap corruption vulnerability exists in the string processing logic of those earlier releases.
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 · scoped10.15
Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Catalina 10.15.1, Security Update 2019-001, or Security Update 2019-006) to all affected systems. Prioritize patching given the critical CVSS score and potential for remote code execution.
macOS Catalina 10.15.1 or later (or apply Security Update 2019-001/Security Update 2019-006 for macOS 10.15)
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before proceeding
- Connect your Mac to power to ensure the update process is not interrupted
- Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update
- If macOS Catalina 10.15.1 or later is available, click 'Update Now' to download and install the update
- Alternatively, download macOS Catalina 10.15.1 or later from the Mac App Store and install manually
- After installation, restart your Mac when prompted
- Verify the update was successful by checking System Preferences > Software Update for 'Your Mac is up to date'
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,304.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-8767 — 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-2019-8767 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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