Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2019-8605 is an Apple operating system memory safety flaw. A malicious application could run code with system privileges after user interaction. Apple fixed it in iOS 12.3, macOS Mojave 10.14.5, tvOS 12.3, and watchOS 5.2.1.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for Apple fleets, especially unmanaged or legacy devices. Known exploitation and system-privilege impact make patch validation more important than severity score alone.
Technical view
The issue is a use-after-free vulnerability, CWE-416, addressed by improved memory management. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Apple devices running affected versions before the fixed releases. The source bundle does not define exact vulnerable version ranges, so validation should compare fleet versions against Apple’s fixed releases or later.
Exploitation context
CISA lists CVE-2019-8605 in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, supporting known exploitation. The provided sources do not describe exploit mechanics, campaigns, targets, or whether exploitation remains widespread today.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports a local, user-interaction use-after-free leading to system privileges. The public bundle does not provide affected version bounds beyond fixed releases, exploit details, indicators, or vendor mitigations other than updating.
Mitigation direction
- Update iOS devices to 12.3 or later.
- Update macOS Mojave systems to 10.14.5 or later.
- Update tvOS devices to 12.3 or later.
- Update watchOS devices to 5.2.1 or later.
- Check Apple advisories for platform-specific guidance.
- Prioritize remediation because CISA lists known exploitation.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Apple device operating system versions.
- Compare each platform against Apple’s fixed release versions.
- Confirm MDM or endpoint records show successful update installation.
- Identify unmanaged Apple devices that may fall outside patch reporting.
- Review CISA KEV status for remediation prioritization.
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.
CWE-416: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-8605 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://support.apple.com/HT210118CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://support.apple.com/HT210119CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://support.apple.com/HT210120CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://support.apple.com/HT210122CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-8605CVE reference · government-resource
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.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.