CVE-2020-9878
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 buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6, macOS Catalina 10.15.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8. Processing a maliciously crafted USD file may lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in USD (Universal Scene Description) file parsing across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Processing a maliciously crafted USD file can trigger heap-based buffer overflow leading to application crash or arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the targeted application.
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< 13.6< 13.6< 10.15.6< 13.4.8< 6.2.8CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check iOS versionGo to Settings > General > About and note the Version numberAffected if Version is lower than 13.6
-
Check iPadOS versionGo to Settings > General > About and note the Version numberAffected if Version is lower than 13.6
-
Check macOS versionClick Apple menu > About This Mac and note the version numberAffected if Version is lower than 10.15.6 ( Catalina 10.15.6 )
-
Check tvOS versionGo to Settings > General > About > VersionAffected if Version is lower than 13.4.8
-
Check watchOS versionGo to Settings > General > About on the paired iPhone with Watch app, or on the watch go to Settings > AboutAffected if Version is lower than 6.2.8
-
Identify USD file processing capabilitySearch for applications that open .usd or .usdz files (3D model viewers, graphics apps, Quick Look on macOS)Affected if Any app capable of parsing USD files is installed and the OS version is below the fixed release
The user is affected if their device runs an OS version below 13.6 (iOS/iPadOS), 10.15.6 (macOS), 13.4.8 (tvOS), or 6.2.8 (watchOS) AND they have applications that can process USD files.
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 data6.2.810.15.613.4.8
Apply Apple security updates (iOS 13.6/iPadOS 13.6, macOS 10.15.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8 or later). Avoid opening USD files from untrusted or unknown sources until patches are applied.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9878 — 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-2020-9878 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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