CVE-2020-27933
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 memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6, iCloud for Windows 7.20, watchOS 6.2.8, tvOS 13.4.8, macOS Catalina 10.15.6, Security Update 2020-004 Mojave, Security Update 2020-004 High Sierra. Processing a maliciously crafted image 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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Apple's image processing subsystem. When parsing a specially crafted malicious image file, insufficient input validation allows memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution. The fix implements proper bounds checking and input validation during image parsing.
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< 7.20< 13.6< 13.6>= 10.15, < 10.15.6= 10.15.6< 13.4.8< 6.2.8CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check macOS version on Apple desktops and laptopsRun 'sw_vers' or go to Apple menu > About This Mac to view the macOS version numberAffected if The version is 10.15 (Catalina) but not 10.15.6 or higher, or if it shows version 10.15.x where x is less than 6
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Check iOS or iPadOS version on Apple mobile devicesGo to Settings > General > About on the device and note the iOS/iPadOS versionAffected if The version is 13.x but less than 13.6, or if it cannot be updated to 13.6 or higher due to device age
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Check tvOS version on Apple TV devicesGo to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TVAffected if The version is less than 13.4.8
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Check watchOS version on Apple Watch devicesOpen the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, or check on Apple Watch via Settings > General > AboutAffected if The version is less than 6.2.8
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Check iCloud for Windows versionOpen iCloud for Windows, click the menu icon, and select 'Check for Updates' or view the version in Programs and FeaturesAffected if The installed version is below 7.20
You are affected if any Apple product listed (macOS, iOS/iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, or iCloud for Windows) in your environment is running a version lower than the fixed versions specified in the affected product ranges.
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 data6.2.87.2010.15.6
Apply vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 13.6+, iPadOS 13.6+, macOS 10.15.6+, watchOS 6.2.8+, tvOS 13.4.8+, iCloud for Windows 7.20+. For legacy systems, apply Security Update 2020-004 for Mojave and High Sierra.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-2020-27933 — 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-2020-27933 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