CVE-2020-9846
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 logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.0.1. A malicious application may be able to access local users' Apple IDs.
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 logic issue in macOS involved improper state management that allowed a malicious local application to access stored Apple IDs for users on the system. This vulnerability was addressed by improving how the system handles state related to Apple ID data.
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< 12.0.1CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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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Determine installed macOS versionGo to Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in TerminalAffected if Version is earlier than 12.0.1 (Monterey)
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Verify system contains Apple ID dataCheck for ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.idms or keychain entries containing 'appleid' - however this is typically present by default on systems where users have signed into iCloudAffected if Users have signed into iCloud or Apple ID on the Mac, which is the default state
If the macOS version is below 12.0.1 and users have Apple ID credentials stored on the system, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 · scoped12.0.1
Update macOS to version 12.0.1 or later to patch the logic flaw in state management that could allow a malicious application to access local users' Apple IDs.
macOS Monterey 12.0.1 or later (preferably latest available, currently macOS 15.x Sequoia)
- 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before starting the upgrade
- 2. Connect your Mac to power to ensure the update process is not interrupted
- 3. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen
- 4. Select 'System Settings' (or 'System Preferences' on older macOS versions)
- 5. Click on 'Software Update'
- 6. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' or 'Upgrade Now' to install it
- 7. Follow the on-screen instructions and allow the update to complete
- 8. After your Mac restarts, verify the update was successful by checking System Settings > General > About to confirm the macOS version
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-2020-9846 — 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-2020-9846 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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