dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2024-54486

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.2 / 11.2 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Sonoma 14.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.7.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, watchOS 11.2. Processing a maliciously crafted font may result in the disclosure of process 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 · moderate confidence

This is a memory disclosure vulnerability in Apple operating systems where processing a maliciously crafted font file leads to exposure of process memory. The vulnerability was in font parsing/processing code, and Apple addressed it with improved validation checks during font processing.

MitigationUpdate to the fixed versions: iOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3/18.2, macOS Ventura 13.7.2/Sonoma 14.7.2/Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, or watchOS 11.2. Avoid opening font files from untrusted sources until patching is complete.

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:< 17.7.3>= 18.0, < 18.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 13.7.2>= 14.0, < 14.7.2>= 15.0, < 15.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 18.2
VisionosOperating system
Affected:< 2.2
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 11.2

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the Apple product
    Determine which Apple operating system is running (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS)
    Affected if The product is any of these six Apple OS types
  2. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on iPhone or iPad, or use the command: sw_vers (iOS) or system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType (iPadOS)
    Affected if The version is less than 18.2, or is 18.0 or 18.1 (iOS), or is less than 17.7.3, or is 18.0 or 18.1 (iPadOS)
  3. Check the installed macOS version
    Go to System Settings > General > About, or run sw_vers in Terminal
    Affected if The version is less than 13.7.2 (Ventura), or is 14.0-14.7.1 (Sonoma), or is 15.0-15.1 (Sequoia)
  4. Check the installed tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS version
    On Apple TV go to Settings > General > About > Version; on Vision Pro go to Settings > General > About; on Apple Watch go to Settings > General > About
    Affected if tvOS is less than 18.2, visionOS is less than 2.2, or watchOS is less than 11.2
  5. Confirm font processing exposure
    The vulnerability is triggered when processing font files. Determine if the system has been used to open or process font files from untrusted sources, though font processing is a built-in system feature
    Affected if The system processes font files as a standard function, and the version is in the affected range

The environment is affected if the Apple operating system version falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges listed for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, or watchOS.

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 2.2 / 11.2 / 13.7.2 or later
Fixed in 2.211.213.7.2
Interim mitigation

Update to the fixed versions: iOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3/18.2, macOS Ventura 13.7.2/Sonoma 14.7.2/Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, or watchOS 11.2. Avoid opening font files from untrusted sources until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.2 / iPadOS 18.2 / iPadOS 17.7.3 / macOS Ventura 13.7.2 / macOS Sonoma 14.7.2 / macOS Sequoia 15.2 / tvOS 18.2 / visionOS 2.2 / watchOS 11.2

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, or Apple Watch)
  2. Back up the device before updating
  3. For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 18.2 or later
  4. For iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iPadOS 18.2 or later (or iPadOS 17.7.3 if staying on iOS 17)
  5. For Mac: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.7.2, Sonoma 14.7.2, or Sequoia 15.2 as appropriate
  6. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to tvOS 18.2
  7. For Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to visionOS 2.2
  8. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the iPhone companion app and upgrade to watchOS 11.2
Caveat Security-only updates typically have minimal breaking changes; some older applications may have compatibility issues with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-54486 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-54486 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