dbcve.org
IcloudApplication · Apple

CVE-2020-29618

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.2 / 10.14.6 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 tvOS 14.3, macOS Big Sur 11.1, Security Update 2020-001 Catalina, Security Update 2020-007 Mojave, iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3, iCloud for Windows 12.0, watchOS 7.2. 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 · moderate confidence

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Apple's image processing framework (likely ImageIO or CoreGraphics) allows processing of maliciously crafted images to trigger the vulnerability. The flaw permits reading beyond allocated buffer boundaries, which can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution on affected devices.

MitigationApply the available security updates: iOS 14.3/iPadOS 14.3, tvOS 14.3, watchOS 7.2, macOS Big Sur 11.1/Security Update 2020-001 Catalina/Security Update 2020-007 Mojave, or iCloud for Windows 12.0 depending on the affected platform.

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
IcloudApplication
Affected:< 12.0
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 14.3
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.3
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.14, < 10.14.6>= 10.15, < 10.15.7= 10.14.6= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.1.0
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 14.3
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 7.2

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. Identify your Apple platform
    Determine which Apple product is running: iOS device (iPhone/iPod), iPadOS tablet, macOS computer, tvOS, watchOS, or iCloud for Windows. Each has a different version numbering system.
    Affected if The device runs any of the affected platforms listed in the CVE (iCloud, iPadOS, iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS)
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On iOS/iPadOS: Open Settings > General > About and note the Version number. Compare it to the affected range: iOS < 14.3 or iPadOS < 14.3.
    Affected if Version is below 14.3 on iOS or iPadOS
  3. Check macOS version
    On macOS: Click Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number (such as 10.14.6, 10.15.7, 11.0.x, or 11.1). Compare against affected ranges: 10.14.x (below 10.14.6), 10.15.x (below 10.15.7), or 11.0.x (below 11.1.0).
    Affected if macOS version is 10.14.x before 10.14.6, 10.15.x before 10.15.7, or 11.0.x before 11.1.0
  4. Check tvOS or watchOS version
    On tvOS: Go to Settings > General > About > Version. On watchOS: Open Watch app on paired iPhone > My Watch > General > About. Compare to affected range: tvOS < 14.3 or watchOS < 7.2.
    Affected if tvOS version is below 14.3 or watchOS version is below 7.2
  5. Check iCloud for Windows version
    Open iCloud for Windows, click the menu or About section, and note the version. Compare to affected range: iCloud < 12.0.
    Affected if iCloud for Windows version is below 12.0

Your environment is affected if the installed version of any Apple platform (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, or iCloud for Windows) falls within the specific version ranges listed for this CVE.

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 7.2 / 10.14.6 / 10.15.7 or later
Fixed in 7.210.14.610.15.7
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates: iOS 14.3/iPadOS 14.3, tvOS 14.3, watchOS 7.2, macOS Big Sur 11.1/Security Update 2020-001 Catalina/Security Update 2020-007 Mojave, or iCloud for Windows 12.0 depending on the affected platform.

Fix this in Icloud 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.

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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-2020-29618 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