dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2020-27909

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.1 / 11.0.1 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2, tvOS 14.2, watchOS 7.1. Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may lead to arbitrary code execution.

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

A memory corruption vulnerability in Apple's audio file parsing code allows an out-of-bounds read when processing a maliciously crafted audio file. This could potentially be leveraged for arbitrary code execution due to the ability to read memory beyond allocated buffers.

MitigationUpdate affected Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, Apple Watch) to iOS/iPadOS 14.2, tvOS 14.2, or watchOS 7.1 or later to apply the input validation fix.

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:< 14.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.2
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 11.0.1
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 14.2
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 7.1

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if The version is lower than 14.2 (e.g., 14.1, 14.0, 13.x)
  2. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner, select About This Mac. Note the version displayed next to macOS.
    Affected if The version is lower than 11.0.1 (e.g., 11.0, 10.15.x)
  3. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the version number.
    Affected if The version is lower than 14.2 (e.g., 14.1, 14.0, 13.x)
  4. Check watchOS version
    On the paired iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > About, then note the watchOS version for the watch.
    Affected if The version is lower than 7.1 (e.g., 7.0, 6.x)

The device is affected if it runs any version below the security update thresholds: iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS below 14.2, or macOS below 11.0.1.

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 7.1 / 11.0.1 / 14.2 or later
Fixed in 7.111.0.114.2
Interim mitigation

Update affected Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, Apple Watch) to iOS/iPadOS 14.2, tvOS 14.2, or watchOS 7.1 or later to apply the input validation fix.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2020-27909 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