CVE-2020-9971
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 logic issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in watchOS 7.0, tvOS 14.0, iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0, macOS Big Sur 11.0.1. A malicious application may be able to elevate 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 · moderate confidenceCVE-2020-9971 is a logic validation flaw in multiple Apple operating systems (iOS 14.0, iPadOS 14.0, tvOS 14.0, watchOS 7.0, macOS Big Sur 11.0.1) that allows a malicious locally-installed application to elevate its privileges beyond what should be permitted. The vulnerability was addressed by implementing improved input validation checks.
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>= 11.0, < 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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Check iOS version on iPhone/iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version, or connect device to computer and check via Finder/iTunes, or query via MDMAffected if Version is less than 14.0 (e.g., 13.x)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version, or connect device to computer and check via Finder/iTunes, or query via MDMAffected if Version is less than 14.0 (e.g., 13.x)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version, or use Apple Configurator, or query via MDMAffected if Version is less than 14.0 (e.g., 13.x)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, or query via MDMAffected if Version is less than 7.0 (e.g., 6.x)
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Check macOS versionClick Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal, or query via MDM/enterprise managementAffected if Version is 11.0 through 11.0.0 (any version >= 11.0 but less than 11.0.1)
If any Apple device runs an OS version below 14.0 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS, below 7.0 for watchOS, or 11.0.x for macOS, the device is affected by this privilege escalation flaw.
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 data7.011.0.114.0
Apply the available vendor patches by updating affected devices to iOS 14.0+/iPadOS 14.0+, tvOS 14.0+, watchOS 7.0+, or macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 or later. For enterprises, deploy updates via MDM and verify compliance.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2020-9971 — 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-2020-9971 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