CVE-2020-9907
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 memory corruption issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6, tvOS 13.4.8. 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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Apple kernel allows a malicious local application to escalate privileges to kernel level, potentially executing arbitrary code with highest system privileges. The fix involved removal of the vulnerable code path.
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< 13.4.8CVSS 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.
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Check iOS version on iPhoneGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the iPhone deviceAffected if Version number is less than 13.6 (e.g., 13.5, 13.4, etc.)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the iPad deviceAffected if Version number is less than 13.6 (e.g., 13.5, 13.4, etc.)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the Apple TV deviceAffected if Version number is less than 13.4.8 (e.g., 13.4.7, 13.4, 13.3, etc.)
A device is affected if it runs any version of iOS or iPadOS below 13.6, or any version of tvOS below 13.4.8, since the memory corruption vulnerability exists in the kernel of 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.
dbcve · scoped13.4.813.6
Apply the vendor-supplied updates: iOS 13.6+, iPadOS 13.6+, or tvOS 13.4.8+ as appropriate for the affected device.
iOS 13.6 / iPadOS 13.6 / tvOS 13.4.8 or later
- 1. Check the current iOS, iPadOS, or tvOS version on the device by navigating to Settings > General > About
- 2. Back up all important data on the device using iTunes or iCloud before performing the upgrade
- 3. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 13.6 or iPadOS 13.6
- 3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 13.4.8
- 4. Alternatively, connect the device to a computer with iTunes/Finder and update to the latest available secure release
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-2020-9907 — 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-2020-9907 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