dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2020-36615

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.0.1 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 bounds checking. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.0.1. Processing a maliciously crafted font 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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in macOS font processing components. The vulnerability can be triggered by processing a maliciously crafted font file, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution. The issue was addressed in macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 with improved bounds checking.

MitigationApply macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 or later security updates to address the vulnerability. 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
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 11.0.1

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. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or System Preferences > About to view the installed macOS version
    Affected if Version is below 11.0.1 (e.g., 10.15.x, 10.14.x, etc.)
  2. Confirm font processing is accessible
    Verify that font-related system components are loaded by checking /Library/Fonts/ or ~/Library/Fonts/ directories exist and contain font files
    Affected if Font directories are present and accessible (default condition on macOS)
  3. Identify if untrusted fonts could be loaded
    Check if Font Book app is available or if apps with font loading capability are in use. Inspect any third-party font loading mechanisms present in the environment.
    Affected if Font loading features are enabled or third-party font handling software is installed

You are affected if the installed macOS version is earlier than 11.0.1 and the system can process font files.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 11.0.1 or later
Fixed in 11.0.1
Interim mitigation

Apply macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 or later security updates to address the vulnerability. Avoid opening untrusted font files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 or later

  1. Back up important data on the Mac before performing any system upgrade.
  2. Verify system compatibility with macOS Big Sur (2013 or newer Mac models are supported).
  3. Download macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 or later from the Mac App Store or Apple's website.
  4. Run the installer to upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 or newer.
  5. After upgrade, verify the system is running version 11.0.1 or later via Apple menu > About This Mac.
Caveat macOS Big Sur is a major OS revision; some older 32-bit applications may no longer be supported, and some system requirements changed.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,340
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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-2020-36615 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