dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2020-29624

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
A memory corruption issue existed in the processing of font files. This issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in watchOS 7.2, 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 font 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

Memory corruption vulnerability in the processing of font files, addressed with improved input validation. Processing a maliciously crafted font file may lead to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user processing the file.

MitigationApply the available security updates (iOS 14.3, iPadOS 14.3, macOS Big Sur 11.1/Security Update 2020-001/2020-007, watchOS 7.2, tvOS 14.3) to all affected devices. Avoid opening untrusted font files from unknown sources.

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:< 14.3
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 device type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac computer, Apple Watch, or Apple TV. This CVE affects different Apple operating systems with different version schemes.
    Affected if The device runs an Apple operating system (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS)
  2. Check the installed iOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Version'.
    Affected if The iOS version is lower than 14.3
  3. Check the installed iPadOS version
    On iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Version'.
    Affected if The iPadOS version is lower than 14.3
  4. Check the installed macOS version
    On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number appears below the macOS name (for example, 10.14.6, 10.15.7, or 11.0.x).
    Affected if The macOS version is 10.14.x and less than 10.14.6, OR is 10.15.x and less than 10.15.7, OR is 11.0.x and less than 11.1.0
  5. Check the installed watchOS or tvOS version
    On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on paired iPhone and go to General > About to see watchOS version. On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About to see tvOS version.
    Affected if The watchOS version is lower than 7.2 or the tvOS version is lower than 14.3
  6. Assess font file processing exposure
    Consider whether the device processes font files from external or untrusted sources, such as opening font files received via email, downloaded from the internet, or installed from third-party sources.
    Affected if Untrusted font files can be opened or installed on the device

The environment is affected if the device runs iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, or tvOS at a version below the fixed release (14.3 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS, 10.14.6/10.15.7/11.1.0 for macOS), and if the device can process font files from untrusted sources.

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, macOS Big Sur 11.1/Security Update 2020-001/2020-007, watchOS 7.2, tvOS 14.3) to all affected devices. Avoid opening untrusted font files from unknown sources.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

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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-2020-29624 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