CVE-2020-9829
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 validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5, tvOS 13.4.5, watchOS 6.2.5. Processing a maliciously crafted text message may lead to application denial of service.
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 validation issue in Apple iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS allows denial of service when processing a maliciously crafted text message. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization in message processing components.
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< 13.5< 13.5< 13.4.5< 6.2.5CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 your Apple device typeDetermine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Watch. This CVE affects each platform differently, so knowing the device type is required to select the correct version check.Affected if The device is an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Watch running an affected operating system.
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Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone or iPadOn the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'. Compare this against the affected range of < 13.5 for iOS/iPadOS.Affected if The installed iOS or iPadOS version is lower than 13.5 (for example, 13.4 or earlier).
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVOn the Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number. Compare this against the affected range of < 13.4.5 for tvOS.Affected if The installed tvOS version is lower than 13.4.5 (for example, 13.4 or earlier).
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOn the paired iPhone, open the Watch app, select your watch, go to General > About, and note the version number. Alternatively, on the Apple Watch go to Settings > About. Compare this against the affected range of < 6.2.5 for watchOS.Affected if The installed watchOS version is lower than 6.2.5 (for example, 6.2 or earlier).
A user is affected if their device runs iOS/iPadOS below 13.5, tvOS below 13.4.5, or watchOS below 6.2.5, as the denial of service vulnerability in message processing applies to those unpatched versions.
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 data6.2.513.4.513.5
Update all affected devices to iOS 13.5/iPadOS 13.5, tvOS 13.4.5, or watchOS 6.2.5 or later to apply the vendor patch.
- Consultation1.0 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-2020-9829 — 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-2020-9829 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