dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2024-40854

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.7.1 / 14.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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
A memory initialization issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 17.7.1 and iPadOS 17.7.1, iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination.

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

A memory initialization vulnerability in Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS allows a local application to trigger unexpected system termination (denial of service). The issue stems from improper memory handling during initialization, which can be exploited to crash the system.

MitigationApply the available vendor patches by updating to iOS 17.7.1/iPadOS 17.7.1 or later, iOS 18.1/iPadOS 18.1 or later, or macOS Ventura 13.7.1/macOS Sonoma 14.7.1/macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 17.7.1>= 18.0, < 18.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 17.7.1>= 18.0, < 18.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 13.7.1>= 14.0, < 14.7.1

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 your operating system type
    On iOS/iPadOS: go to Settings > General > About and note the device model. On macOS: open System Settings > About or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal to confirm the OS name (macOS Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia).
    Affected if The device runs iOS, iPadOS, or macOS.
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version to view the installed iOS/iPadOS version number.
    Affected if The version is any build before 17.7.1, or 18.0 through any 18.0.x build before 18.1.
  3. Check macOS version
    Open System Settings > About to view the macOS version, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal to get the exact version number.
    Affected if The version is any build before 13.7.1, or 14.0 through any 14.x build before 14.7.1.
  4. Verify application execution capability
    Confirm you have the ability to install or run third-party applications on the device (this is the attack vector for the vulnerability).
    Affected if The device allows running local applications and is running an affected OS version.

You are affected if the device runs iOS/iPadOS versions before 17.7.1 or between 18.0 and 18.0.x, or macOS versions before 13.7.1 or between 14.0 and 14.6.x, and permits local application execution.

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 13.7.1 / 14.7.1 / 17.7.1 or later
Fixed in 13.7.114.7.117.7.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the available vendor patches by updating to iOS 17.7.1/iPadOS 17.7.1 or later, iOS 18.1/iPadOS 18.1 or later, or macOS Ventura 13.7.1/macOS Sonoma 14.7.1/macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 17.7.1/iPadOS 17.7.1, iOS 18.1/iPadOS 18.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update (17.7.1 or 18.1 depending on your current iOS version)
  2. For Mac: Open System Settings > General > Software Update and install the available update (13.7.1, 14.7.1, or 15.1 depending on your current macOS version)
  3. After updating, verify the fix by confirming the system is running the patched version in Settings/About

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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-2024-40854 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