dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2024-54499

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.2 / 11.2 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, watchOS 11.2. Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution.

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 use-after-free vulnerability in Apple's image processing subsystem allowed arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted image. The issue was addressed with improved memory management in the affected Apple operating systems.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches by updating to iOS 18.2/iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, or watchOS 11.2 on all affected devices.

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:< 18.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 18.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Identify device and operating system
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision. Note the operating system running on it (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, or visionOS).
    Affected if Device runs any of the affected Apple operating systems listed.
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, open Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' field. If the device is managed, you may also use Apple Configurator or check with your MDM solution.
    Affected if Version is lower than 18.2 (for example, 18.1, 18.0, 17.x, or earlier).
  3. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal. Note the version number under 'macOS' or 'System Version'.
    Affected if Version is lower than 15.2 (for example, 15.1, 15.0, 14.x, or earlier).
  4. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the tvOS version displayed.
    Affected if Version is lower than 18.2.
  5. Check watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > About, or on the Watch go to Settings > General > About. Note the watchOS version.
    Affected if Version is lower than 11.2.
  6. Check visionOS version
    On Apple Vision, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the visionOS version displayed.
    Affected if Version is lower than 2.2.

A device is affected if it is running any version of iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS earlier than 18.2, macOS earlier than 15.2, or visionOS earlier than 2.2, and the image processing subsystem is in use.

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 / 15.2 or later
Fixed in 2.211.215.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches by updating to iOS 18.2/iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, or watchOS 11.2 on all affected devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 18.2 / iPadOS 18.2 / macOS Sequoia 15.2 / tvOS 18.2 / visionOS 2.2 / watchOS 11.2

  1. Identify all Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watches) in the environment running affected versions
  2. For iPhones and iPads: Upgrade to iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 or later
  3. For Macs: Upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.2 or later
  4. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 18.2 or later
  5. For Apple Vision Pro: Upgrade to visionOS 2.2 or later
  6. For Apple Watches: Upgrade to watchOS 11.2 or later
  7. Verify all devices are running the fixed versions after applying updates

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2024-54499 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