SafariWeb browser · Apple
CVE-2020-9910
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 · uneditedMultiple issues were addressed with improved logic. 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 malicious attacker with arbitrary read and write capability may be able to bypass Pointer Authentication.
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 confidenceA Pointer Authentication (PAC) bypass vulnerability in Apple's software stack. PAC is an ARM64 security feature that cryptographically signs pointers to prevent code-reuse attacks. The vulnerability allows an attacker who already has arbitrary read/write capabilities to bypass this protection, potentially enabling code execution despite other security measures. The exact nature of the logic flaw is not detailed in the advisory.
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
< 13.1.2< 7.20>= 11.0, < 11.3< 12.10.8< 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Apple softwareCheck which Apple applications are present on the system: Safari (check browser), iTunes, iCloud for Windows, or iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS devicesAffected if Any Apple product from the affected list is installed
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Check Safari versionIn Safari, go to Safari > About Safari to display the version numberAffected if Version is below 13.1.2
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Check iTunes versionIn iTunes, go to Help > About iTunes to display the version numberAffected if Version is below 12.10.8 (Windows)
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Check iCloud for Windows versionOpen iCloud, click the iCloud icon and select About iCloud to display the versionAffected if Version is below 7.20 or between 11.0 and 11.3 exclusive
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Check iOS or iPadOS versionOn the device, go to Settings > General > About to view the version numberAffected if iOS version is below 13.6 or iPadOS version is below 13.6
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Check tvOS or watchOS versionOn Apple TV go to Settings > General > About > Version; on Apple Watch open the Watch app on iPhone and go to General > AboutAffected if tvOS version is below 13.4.8 or watchOS version is below 6.2.8
If any installed Apple product (Safari, iTunes, iCloud for Windows, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS) has a version below the specified threshold for that product, the environment is affected by this PAC bypass vulnerability.
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 data6.2.87.2011.3
Apply the 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 for Windows, and iCloud for Windows 11.3/7.20. Ensure devices are patched as part of standard vulnerability management.
Fix this in Safari
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9910 — 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-2020-9910 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