CVE-2020-27935
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 · uneditedMultiple issues were addressed with improved logic. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2, macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, watchOS 7.1, tvOS 14.2. A sandboxed process may be able to circumvent sandbox restrictions.
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 sandbox escape vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS) allows a sandboxed process to circumvent sandbox restrictions due to insufficient logic validation. The vulnerability was addressed with improved logic checks in the affected components.
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< 14.2< 14.2< 11.0.1< 14.2< 7.1CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/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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Identify the Apple operating system productDetermine which Apple device you are running: iPhone (iOS), iPad (iPadOS), Mac (macOS), Apple TV (tvOS), or Apple Watch (watchOS). This determines which version threshold applies.Affected if The device runs any of the listed Apple operating systems.
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Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone/iPadOn the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number. Compare it to the affected range: versions below 14.2 are vulnerable.Affected if The device runs iOS or iPadOS versions earlier than 14.2.
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Check macOS version on MacClick the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number (for example, 11.0, 10.15.7). Compare to the affected range: versions earlier than 11.0.1 are vulnerable. Alternatively, run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal.Affected if The Mac runs macOS versions earlier than 11.0.1 (including all versions of macOS Catalina 10.15.x and earlier).
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV. Compare to the affected range: versions below 14.2 are vulnerable.Affected if The Apple TV runs tvOS versions earlier than 14.2.
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on the paired iPhone, go to General > About, and note the watchOS version. Alternatively, on the Watch go to Settings > About. Compare to the affected range: versions below 7.1 are vulnerable.Affected if The Apple Watch runs watchOS versions earlier than 7.1.
If the installed version of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS is below the respective threshold (14.2 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS, 11.0.1 for macOS), the device is vulnerable to this sandbox escape flaw.
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 data7.111.0.114.2
Apply the vendor-supplied patches by updating to iOS 14.2/iPadOS 14.2, macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, watchOS 7.1, or tvOS 14.2 as appropriate for affected devices.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27935 — 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-2020-27935 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
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