CVE-2024-27874: Apple iPadOS Denial-of-Service Vulnerability

CVE-2024-27874 Overview

CVE-2024-27874 is a denial-of-service vulnerability affecting Apple iOS and iPadOS that stems from improper state management. A remote attacker can exploit this flaw to cause a denial-of-service condition on vulnerable devices without requiring any user interaction or prior authentication. Apple addressed this vulnerability through improved state management controls in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can disrupt device availability without authentication, potentially rendering iOS and iPadOS devices temporarily unusable through network-based attacks.

Affected Products

• Apple iOS (versions prior to iOS 18)
• Apple iPadOS (versions prior to iPadOS 18)
• All iPhone and iPad devices running vulnerable firmware versions

Discovery Timeline

• September 17, 2024 - CVE-2024-27874 published to NVD
• November 4, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-27874

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability relates to CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption), indicating that the flaw allows attackers to exhaust system resources through improper state management. The vulnerability enables remote attackers to trigger a denial-of-service condition by sending specially crafted network requests that exploit the state management weakness.

The attack can be executed remotely over a network with low complexity. No privileges or user interaction are required for successful exploitation. While the vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity, it can completely disrupt the availability of affected devices.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-27874 lies in improper state management within Apple's iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The vulnerability exists in how the system handles and tracks certain states during network operations. When an attacker sends malicious input, the system fails to properly manage state transitions, leading to resource exhaustion or process termination.

Apple's fix involved implementing improved state management mechanisms to properly validate and handle state transitions, preventing the denial-of-service condition from being triggered.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2024-27874 is network-based, allowing remote exploitation without physical access to the target device. An attacker can trigger the vulnerability by sending specially crafted network traffic to a vulnerable iOS or iPadOS device. The attack requires no authentication and no user interaction, making it particularly dangerous for devices exposed to untrusted networks.

The vulnerability allows attackers to cause high availability impact, potentially crashing services or making the device unresponsive until it is restarted.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-27874

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected device crashes or unresponsiveness when connected to networks
• Repeated service terminations in system diagnostic logs
• Unusual network traffic patterns targeting iOS/iPadOS devices
• Memory exhaustion or resource consumption anomalies in device logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor network traffic for anomalous patterns targeting mobile devices on your network
• Implement intrusion detection rules to identify potential denial-of-service attack signatures
• Review device diagnostic logs for repeated crashes or service termination events
• Deploy endpoint monitoring solutions capable of detecting resource exhaustion conditions

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging on network security appliances to capture traffic to mobile devices
• Implement Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to monitor device health and availability
• Configure alerts for devices that become unresponsive or experience repeated crashes
• Establish baseline network behavior for iOS/iPadOS devices to detect anomalies

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-27874

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all iOS devices to iOS 18 or later immediately
• Update all iPadOS devices to iPadOS 18 or later immediately
• Prioritize updates for devices exposed to untrusted networks
• Review network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable devices

Patch Information

Apple has released security updates that address this vulnerability through improved state management. The fix is included in:

• iOS 18 - Available for all supported iPhone models
• iPadOS 18 - Available for all supported iPad models

For detailed patch information and download instructions, refer to the Apple Support Article. Additional technical details are available in the Full Disclosure Post.

Workarounds

• Restrict network access to vulnerable devices until patching is complete
• Implement network-level filtering to block potentially malicious traffic targeting mobile devices
• Use network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices from untrusted network segments
• Consider temporary device isolation in high-security environments until updates can be applied