CVE-2020-9909
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 · uneditedAn out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8. An attacker that has already achieved kernel code execution may be able to bypass kernel memory mitigations.
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 confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Apple kernel components that was addressed with improved bounds checking. When an attacker has already achieved kernel code execution, this vulnerability can be used to bypass kernel memory mitigation mechanisms designed to protect against memory corruption exploits.
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< 13.4.8< 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
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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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Check iOS or iPadOS versionOpen Settings > General > About on the iPhone or iPad and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'Affected if The version is earlier than 13.6 (for example, 13.5.x or earlier) and an attacker already has kernel code execution on the device
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Check tvOS versionOpen Settings > General > About on the Apple TV and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'Affected if The version is earlier than 13.4.8 and an attacker already has kernel code execution on the device
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Check watchOS versionOpen the Watch app on the paired iPhone, go to General > About, and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'Affected if The version is earlier than 6.2.8 and an attacker already has kernel code execution on the Apple Watch
You are affected only if your Apple device runs an OS version below the fixed release (iOS/iPadOS 13.6, tvOS 13.4.8, or watchOS 6.2.8) AND an attacker has already achieved kernel code execution on that device.
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 data6.2.813.4.813.6
Apply the vendor patches by updating to iOS 13.6, iPadOS 13.6, tvOS 13.4.8, or watchOS 6.2.8 or later. Note that this mitigation assumes the attacker does not already have kernel code execution; organizations should ensure defense-in-depth against initial compromise.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9909 — 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-2020-9909 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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