CVE-2020-3896
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Catalina 10.15.4, Security Update 2020-002 Mojave, Security Update 2020-002 High Sierra. A malicious application may be able to overwrite arbitrary files.
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 confidenceA local file overwrite vulnerability in macOS where a malicious application could overwrite arbitrary files on the system. The vulnerability was addressed by removing the vulnerable code path in the affected macOS versions.
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>= 10.13, < 10.13.6>= 10.14, < 10.14.6>= 10.15, < 10.15.4= 10.13.6= 10.14.6CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Check the installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers' or go to Apple menu > About This Mac to view the macOS version number (e.g., 10.14.5, 10.15.3)Affected if The version is 10.13.0 through 10.13.6, 10.14.0 through 10.14.6, or 10.15.0 through 10.15.3 (any version before the security updates)
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Confirm the specific macOS buildRun 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' or check System Preferences > About to see the build number (e.g., 18G103 for 10.14.6)Affected if The build number corresponds to an unpatched version listed in the affected range
You are affected if your macOS version is 10.13.x before 10.13.7, 10.14.x before 10.14.7, or 10.15.x before 10.15.4, as the vulnerable code path was removed only in the security updates.
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.
dbcve · scoped10.13.610.14.610.15.4
Apply the vendor-supplied security updates: macOS Catalina 10.15.4, Security Update 2020-002 for Mojave, or Security Update 2020-002 for High Sierra.
macOS 10.15.4 (Catalina), Security Update 2020-002 Mojave, or Security Update 2020-002 High Sierra depending on current version
- Check the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
- For macOS Catalina 10.15.x: Open System Preferences > Software Update to upgrade to macOS 10.15.4 or later
- For macOS Mojave 10.14.x: Open System Preferences > Software Update to install Security Update 2020-002 Mojave
- For macOS High Sierra 10.13.x: Open System Preferences > Software Update to install Security Update 2020-002 High Sierra
- After applying the update, restart the Mac as prompted to complete the remediation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3896 — 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-2020-3896 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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