CVE-2019-8789
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 · uneditedA validation issue existed in the handling of symlinks. This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2, macOS Catalina 10.15.1. Parsing a maliciously crafted iBooks file may lead to disclosure of user information.
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 confidenceA validation issue existed in the handling of symlinks within iBooks parsing on iOS and macOS. A maliciously crafted iBooks file could be used to exploit improper symlink validation, potentially leading to disclosure of user information.
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< 13.2< 13.2< 10.15.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS or iPadOS versionGo to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version number. Alternatively, connect the device to a computer and use iTunes or Finder to check the iOS/iPadOS version.Affected if The version is earlier than 13.2 (for example, 13.1.3, 12.4.x, etc.)
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Check macOS versionClick the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number appears below the macOS name (for example, 10.15, 10.14.6, etc.).Affected if The version is earlier than 10.15.1 (for example, 10.15.0, 10.14.6, etc.)
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Verify iBooks application presenceOn iOS/iPadOS, look for the Books app (formerly iBooks) in the app library or home screen. On macOS, check /Applications for the Books app or search via Spotlight.Affected if The Books/iBooks application is installed on the device.
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Determine if iBooks file handling is usedCheck if the user has ever opened or imported ePub or iBooks files using the Books/iBooks application. This is the vector for the vulnerability.Affected if The user has opened or imported iBooks files on a vulnerable OS version.
A user is affected if they are running iOS/iPadOS earlier than 13.2 or macOS earlier than 10.15.1 AND have the Books/iBooks application installed and have used it to open files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data10.15.113.2
Update to iOS 13.2 and later, iPadOS 13.2 and later, or macOS Catalina 10.15.1 and later to address this vulnerability. Consider disabling or restricting iBooks until updates are applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-8789 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-8789 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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