dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2019-8901

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.1 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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
This issue was addressed by verifying host keys when connecting to a previously-known SSH server. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to intercept SSH traffic from the “Run script over SSH” action.

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

The SSH client in iOS and iPadOS failed to verify host keys when connecting to previously-known SSH servers, allowing an attacker in a privileged network position to perform man-in-the-middle attacks and intercept SSH traffic from the 'Run script over SSH' action.

MitigationUpdate affected iOS/iPadOS devices to version 13.1 or later where host key verification is properly enforced.

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:< 13.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 13.1

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify your Apple mobile device
    Check the device model - confirm it is an iPhone or iPad (including iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini) by looking at the device packaging, settings, or physical device
    Affected if Device is an iPhone or iPad running iOS/iPadOS
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Open Settings > General > About and locate the 'Version' field. Note the numeric version (for example, 12.4.3 or 13.0)
    Affected if Version shows a number less than 13.1 (for example, 13.0, 12.4, 12.3, 11.x)
  3. Confirm SSH client usage
    Review installed apps for SSH/Terminal apps (such as Prompt, Termius, iTerminal, or built-in SSH utilities). Check if you have used the 'Run script over SSH' action in any workflow or automation app
    Affected if SSH client apps are installed or SSH functionality has been used to connect to remote servers

You are affected if your device runs iOS or iPadOS version less than 13.1 AND you use or have used an SSH client to connect to remote servers.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 13.1 or later
Fixed in 13.1
Interim mitigation

Update affected iOS/iPadOS devices to version 13.1 or later where host key verification is properly enforced.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2019-8901 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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