CVE-2020-9949
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 use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, watchOS 7.0, iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0, macOS Catalina 10.15.6, Security Update 2020-004 Mojave, Security Update 2020-004 High Sierra, tvOS 14.0. 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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in Apple operating system components allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, enabling complete system compromise.
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< 14.0< 14.0< 10.15.6>= 11.0.0, < 11.0.1< 14.0< 7.0CVSS 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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Identify your Apple platformDetermine whether the device is running iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS. On iOS/iPadOS, check Settings > General > About. On macOS, check Apple menu > About This Mac. On tvOS, check Settings > General > About. On watchOS, check Settings > General > About.Affected if Not applicable - this is the first step to determine which version range applies
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Check the installed iOS or iPadOS versionOn the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number displayed.Affected if The version number is less than 14.0 (for example, 13.7, 13.5, etc.)
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Check the installed macOS versionClick the Apple menu and select About This Mac. Note the version number shown (for example, 10.15.5, 11.0.0, 11.0.2).Affected if The version is earlier than 10.15.6, OR the version is 11.0.0
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Check the installed tvOS or watchOS versionOn tvOS, go to Settings > General > About. On watchOS, go to Settings > General > About on the paired iPhone or directly on the watch. Note the Version number.Affected if The version number is less than 14.0 for tvOS, or less than 7.0 for watchOS
You are affected if your device runs iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS versions below 14.0, or watchOS below 7.0, or macOS versions earlier than 10.15.6 or exactly version 11.0.0.
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 data7.010.15.611.0.1
Apply the appropriate Apple security update for the affected product version (iOS 14.0+, iPadOS 14.0+, watchOS 7.0+, tvOS 14.0+, macOS Big Sur 11.0.1+, macOS Catalina 10.15.6+, or Security Update 2020-004 for Mojave/High Sierra).
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9949 — 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-2020-9949 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