CVE-2020-3872
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 memory initialization issue was addressed with improved memory handling. 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. An application may be able to read restricted memory.
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 confidenceA memory initialization vulnerability in Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) allowed a malicious application to read restricted memory due to improper memory handling. This is a local information disclosure issue with medium severity (CVSS 5.5).
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< 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 device typeDetermine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch. This dictates which version check to apply.Affected if Device runs any Apple operating system (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS)
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Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone/iPadOn iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number. Compare it to 13.3.1.Affected if Version is earlier than 13.3.1 (e.g., 13.3, 13.2.x, etc.)
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Check macOS version on MacOn Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version number (e.g., 10.15.2, 10.15.1). Compare it to 10.15.3.Affected if Version is earlier than 10.15.3 (e.g., 10.15.2, 10.15.1, 10.15)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVOn Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version. Compare it to 13.3.1.Affected if Version is earlier than 13.3.1
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOn Apple Watch, open the Settings app > General > About and note the Version. Compare it to 6.1.2.Affected if Version is earlier than 6.1.2
The device is affected if the installed OS version falls below 13.3.1 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS, below 10.15.3 for macOS, or below 6.1.2 for watchOS.
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 data6.1.210.15.313.3.1
Update affected devices to iOS 13.3.1/iPadOS 13.3.1, macOS Catalina 10.15.3, tvOS 13.3.1, or watchOS 6.1.2 or later. No configuration-based workarounds are available.
- Consultation1.0 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-2020-3872 — 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-2020-3872 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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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.
- 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