CVE-2020-29614
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001 Catalina, Security Update 2021-001 Mojave, macOS Big Sur 11.1, Security Update 2020-001 Catalina, Security Update 2020-007 Mojave, iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3, tvOS 14.3. Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to heap corruption.
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 · moderate confidenceA heap corruption vulnerability exists in multiple Apple operating systems where processing a maliciously crafted file leads to memory corruption. The vulnerability was addressed with improved checks in the respective security updates.
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< 14.3< 14.3>= 10.14, < 10.14.6>= 10.15, < 10.15.7= 10.14.6= 10.15.7>= 11.0, < 11.2< 14.3CVSS 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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Identify your Apple operating system productRun 'sw_vers' on macOS, or check Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS/tvOS to determine the exact product nameAffected if The product is iPadOS, iPhone OS, macOS, or tvOS
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Check the installed version numberRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' on macOS, or check Settings > General > About > Version on iOS/iPadOS/tvOSAffected if Version is < 14.3 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS, or < 11.2 for macOS 11.x, or any 10.14.x/10.15.x version that is not 10.14.6 or 10.15.7
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Determine if third-party file processing apps are usedReview installed applications that accept or open external files, particularly media or document processing applicationsAffected if Applications that process untrusted files are installed and routinely used on the system
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Verify if any vulnerable services are exposedCheck if any local services or daemons process user-supplied files without user interaction, such as thumbnail generators, preview services, or indexing servicesAffected if Automated file processing services exist that could trigger the vulnerability without user awareness
You are affected if your Apple OS version falls within the vulnerable ranges (< 14.3 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS; < 11.2 or any 10.14.x/10.15.x except exact 10.14.6/10.15.7 for macOS) and you process untrusted files using vulnerable system components.
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 data10.14.610.15.711.2
Apply the appropriate security update for the affected Apple product: macOS Big Sur 11.1/11.2, Security Update 2021-001 or 2020-001 for Catalina, Security Update 2021-001 or 2020-007 for Mojave, iOS 14.3, iPadOS 14.3, or tvOS 14.3.
- 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-2020-29614 — 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-2020-29614 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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- 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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