CVE-2020-3846
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 · uneditedA buffer overflow was addressed with improved size validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.3.1 and iPadOS 13.3.1, macOS Catalina 10.15.3, tvOS 13.3.1, watchOS 6.1.2, iTunes for Windows 12.10.4, iCloud for Windows 11.0, iCloud for Windows 7.17. Processing maliciously crafted XML may lead to an unexpected application termination or 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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in XML parsing across Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, iTunes for Windows, and iCloud for Windows. Processing maliciously crafted XML triggers the overflow, allowing potential arbitrary code execution or denial of service.
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< 7.17>= 10.0, < 10.8< 12.10.4< 13.3.1< 13.3.1< 10.15.3< 13.3.1< 6.1.2CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 installed Apple productDetermine which Apple software is present on the system: iCloud for Windows, iTunes for Windows, iOS device, iPadOS device, macOS system, tvOS device, or watchOS deviceAffected if Any of these Apple products are installed on the system
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Check iCloud for Windows versionOpen iCloud, click the menu icon, select 'Check for Updates', or check via Windows Programs and Features. Compare to version 7.17 (or 10.8 if version 10.x)Affected if Version is below 7.17, or version is 10.0 through 10.7 (10.x before 10.8)
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Check iTunes for Windows versionOpen iTunes, go to Help > About iTunes. Compare to version 12.10.4Affected if Version is earlier than 12.10.4
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Check iOS or iPadOS versionOn the device, go to Settings > General > About. Compare to version 13.3.1Affected if Version is earlier than 13.3.1
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Check macOS versionGo to Apple menu > About This Mac. Compare to version 10.15.3 (Catalina)Affected if Version is earlier than 10.15.3
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Check tvOS or watchOS versionOn the device, go to Settings > General > About. Compare to tvOS 13.3.1 or watchOS 6.1.2Affected if tvOS version is earlier than 13.3.1, or watchOS version is earlier than 6.1.2
The system is affected if any installed Apple product version falls below the specific cutoff for that product, as the vulnerability triggers during XML parsing.
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 data6.1.27.1710.8
Apply vendor security updates (iOS 13.3.1, iPadOS 13.3.1, macOS 10.15.3, tvOS 13.3.1, watchOS 6.1.2, iTunes 12.10.4, iCloud for Windows 11.0/7.17) to all affected systems.
- 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-2020-3846 — 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-2020-3846 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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