Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects old Apple iOS and OS X versions. In Safari private browsing, a protection that should force certain sites to use HTTPS could be missed, making sensitive traffic easier to intercept on a network. The bundle does not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as legacy-platform risk. Prioritize remediation where old Apple devices still handle sensitive browsing or operate on untrusted networks. It is not KEV-listed in the supplied evidence.
Technical view
CFNetwork HTTPProtocol in Apple iOS before 9 and OS X before 10.11 did not properly recognize the HSTS preload list during Safari private-browsing sessions. The stated impact is easier network sniffing of sensitive information by remote attackers.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on legacy Apple devices running iOS versions before 9 or OS X versions before 10.11, especially when users browse through shared, hostile, or untrusted networks.
Exploitation context
The source bundle marks KEV as false and provides no cited evidence of active exploitation. The attack context described is network sniffing tied to Safari private browsing and HSTS preload handling.
Researcher notes
The affected product metadata in the bundle is incomplete, but the CVE description names Apple iOS before 9 and OS X before 10.11. No CVSS, CWE, exploit status, or detailed vendor remediation text is included beyond Apple advisory references.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected iOS devices to iOS 9 or later where supported.
- Upgrade affected OS X systems to OS X 10.11 or later where supported.
- Retire or isolate Apple devices that cannot receive the fixed releases.
- Review Apple advisories HT205212 and HT205267 for vendor-specific update guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Apple endpoints and identify iOS versions before 9.
- Inventory Mac endpoints and identify OS X versions before 10.11.
- Confirm Safari use on legacy devices, including private-browsing workflows.
- Check mobile-device-management or endpoint records for applied Apple security updates.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2015-5859 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://support.apple.com/HT205212CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://support.apple.com/HT205267CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.