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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 3 May 2022.
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2020-9859

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-06-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.2.6 / 10.15.5 or later.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Zero-click

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 · unedited
A memory consumption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.5.1 and iPadOS 13.5.1, macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update, tvOS 13.4.6, watchOS 6.2.6. An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

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 confidence

This is a kernel-level memory consumption vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS). A malicious local application could exploit improper memory handling to execute arbitrary code with kernel/root privileges, achieving full device compromise.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 13.5.1, iPadOS 13.5.1, macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update, tvOS 13.4.6, or watchOS 6.2.6 and later versions to all affected devices.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 13.5.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 13.5.1
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:< 10.15.5
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 13.4.6
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 6.2.6

CVSS 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Open Settings > General > About > Version. Note the build number and version (e.g., 13.5 or earlier).
    Affected if The version shown is earlier than 13.5.1 (or the build number is below the security update build)
  2. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Look at the macOS version number displayed.
    Affected if The version is earlier than 10.15.5 (or the build number is older than the Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update)
  3. Check tvOS version
    Open Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV device.
    Affected if The version is earlier than 13.4.6
  4. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, or check directly on Apple Watch via Settings > General > About.
    Affected if The version is earlier than 6.2.6
  5. Determine if device allows third-party app installation
    On iOS/iPadOS: go to Settings > General > Device Management (or Profiles & Device Management). On macOS: check System Preferences > Security & General for app installation restrictions.
    Affected if Unrestricted app installation from unknown developers is allowed (this is a precondition for a malicious local app to be installed and exploit this kernel flaw)

The device is affected if the installed OS version is below 13.5.1 for iOS/iPadOS, below 10.15.5 for macOS, below 13.4.6 for tvOS, or below 6.2.6 for watchOS, AND the device permits installation of third-party applications.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.2.6 / 10.15.5 / 13.4.6 or later
Fixed in 6.2.610.15.513.4.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 13.5.1, iPadOS 13.5.1, macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update, tvOS 13.4.6, or watchOS 6.2.6 and later versions to all affected devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 13.5.1/iPadOS 13.5.1, macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update, tvOS 13.4.6, or watchOS 6.2.6 (depending on device)

  1. Identify the affected Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Check the current OS version on the device (Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS, System Preferences > About on macOS, Settings > General > About on tvOS, Settings > General on watchOS)
  3. Create a backup of important data before updating
  4. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 13.5.1 or iPadOS 13.5.1
  5. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update, or download from Apple Support
  6. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 13.4.6
  7. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 6.2.6
  8. Verify the update was successful by checking the OS version again
Caveat Standard update risks apply - ensure backup before upgrading; some older apps may not be compatible with updated OS versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ipados Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-9859 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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