CVE-2024-44124
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. A malicious Bluetooth input device may bypass pairing.
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 vulnerability in iOS and iPadOS versions prior to 18 allows a malicious Bluetooth input device to bypass the normal pairing process, potentially connecting without proper authentication. This occurs due to improper state management in the Bluetooth stack's pairing state handling.
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< 18.0< 18.0CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 or iPadOS versionGo to Settings > General > About and look at the version number displayed next to 'Version'Affected if The version shown is earlier than 18.0 (for example, 17.x, 16.x, etc.)
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Confirm Bluetooth is enabledGo to Settings > Bluetooth and verify the toggle at the top shows Bluetooth is turned onAffected if Bluetooth is enabled - the device can accept pairing requests that may bypass authentication
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Review paired Bluetooth devicesGo to Settings > Bluetooth > Devices and examine the list of connected and previously paired devicesAffected if Any unfamiliar or untrusted Bluetooth input devices appear in the list, as these may have connected without proper authentication
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Check for active Bluetooth connectionsLook at the status bar or return to Settings > Bluetooth to see if any device shows 'Connected' statusAffected if A Bluetooth input device is currently connected that you did not intentionally pair through the normal iOS pairing workflow
The device is affected if it runs iOS or iPadOS version earlier than 18.0 AND has Bluetooth enabled, regardless of whether unauthorized pairings are currently observable.
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 · scoped18.0
Update all iOS and iPadOS devices to version 18 or later to receive the improved state management fix that prevents unauthorized Bluetooth device pairing bypass.
iOS 18 / iPadOS 18
- Ensure your device is compatible with iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 (iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2nd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 6th generation and later, iPad mini 5th generation and later)
- Backup your device data using iCloud or iTunes/Finder before upgrading
- Connect your device to Wi-Fi and ensure the battery is at least 50% charged or connect to power
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update
- Download and install iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 when prompted
- After installation, verify the update by checking Settings > General > About > iOS Version shows 18.x
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-44124 — 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-2024-44124 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