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SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2020-9895

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.2.8 / 7.20 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8, Safari 13.1.2, iTunes 12.10.8 for Windows, iCloud for Windows 11.3, iCloud for Windows 7.20. A remote attacker may be able to cause 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 · moderate confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in Apple's software stack allowing remote attackers to cause unexpected application termination or execute arbitrary code through improper memory management.

MitigationApply available security updates: iOS 13.6+, iPadOS 13.6+, tvOS 13.4.8+, watchOS 6.2.8+, Safari 13.1.2+, iTunes 12.10.8+, and iCloud for Windows 11.3/7.20+.

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
SafariWeb browser
Affected:< 13.1.2
IcloudApplication
Affected:< 7.20>= 11.0, < 11.3
ItunesApplication
Affected:< 12.10.8
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 13.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 13.6
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 13.4.8
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 6.2.8

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Identify installed Apple products
    Check for installed Apple software: Safari (check About Safari in menu), iCloud (check version in iCloud settings), iTunes (check Help > About iTunes), iOS/iPadOS (Settings > General > About), tvOS (Settings > General > About), watchOS (on iPhone in Watch app > My Watch > General > About)
    Affected if Any of the following products are present: Safari, iCloud, iTunes, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS
  2. Check Safari version
    On Mac: open Safari, click Safari menu > About Safari. On Windows: open iTunes, click Help > About iTunes (Safari comes bundled). Compare the version number to 13.1.2
    Affected if Safari version is lower than 13.1.2 (e.g., 13.1.1, 13.1.0, 13.0.x)
  3. Check iCloud for Windows version
    Open iCloud, click the gear icon or look in the app for version information. Compare to 7.20 and 11.3
    Affected if iCloud for Windows version is lower than 7.20, OR is 11.0 through 11.3 (e.g., 11.0, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3)
  4. Check iTunes version
    Open iTunes, click Help > About iTunes. Compare the version number to 12.10.8
    Affected if iTunes version is lower than 12.10.8 (e.g., 12.10.7, 12.10.6, 12.9.x)
  5. Check iOS/iPadOS version
    On iPhone/iPad: go to Settings > General > About. Look for 'Version' (e.g., 13.5, 13.5.1). Compare to 13.6
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is lower than 13.6 (e.g., 13.5.1, 13.5, 13.4, 13.3)
  6. Check tvOS/watchOS version
    On Apple TV: go to Settings > General > About > Version. On Apple Watch: open Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > General > About > WatchOS version. Compare to 13.4.8 (tvOS) or 6.2.8 (watchOS)
    Affected if tvOS version is lower than 13.4.8 OR watchOS version is lower than 6.2.8

The environment is affected if any installed Apple product (Safari, iCloud, iTunes, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS) matches a version below the minimum fixed version listed for that product.

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 6.2.8 / 7.20 / 11.3 or later
Fixed in 6.2.87.2011.3
Interim mitigation

Apply available security updates: iOS 13.6+, iPadOS 13.6+, tvOS 13.4.8+, watchOS 6.2.8+, Safari 13.1.2+, iTunes 12.10.8+, and iCloud for Windows 11.3/7.20+.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to iOS 13.6 / iPadOS 13.6 / tvOS 13.4.8 / watchOS 6.2.8 / Safari 13.1.2 / iTunes 12.10.8 / iCloud for Windows 7.20 or 11.3

  1. For iPhone and iPod touch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 13.6
  2. For iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 13.6
  3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 13.4.8
  4. For Apple Watch: On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 6.2.8
  5. For Safari (macOS): Update through System Preferences > Software Update to Safari 13.1.2 or later
  6. For iTunes (Windows): Download and install iTunes 12.10.8 for Windows from apple.com
  7. For iCloud for Windows: Update through Microsoft Store or download iCloud 7.20 or iCloud 11.3 for Windows
Caveat iOS 13.6 was the final release of iOS 13; ensure app compatibility before upgrading; some legacy devices may not support these updates

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2020-9895 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