CVE-2020-9992
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed by encrypting communications over the network to devices running iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0, Xcode 12.0. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to execute arbitrary code on a paired device during a debug session over the network.
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 a network man-in-the-middle vulnerability in Apple's debug infrastructure. Prior to iOS 14/iPadOS 14/tvOS 14/watchOS 7 and Xcode 12.0, debug sessions over the network transmitted communications unencrypted, allowing an attacker with privileged network position to inject malicious code and achieve arbitrary code execution on paired devices.
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< 12.0< 14.0< 14.0CVSS 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.
-
Check Xcode version on macOSOpen Xcode from Applications folder, click Xcode menu, then select About Xcode. Note the version number displayed.Affected if The displayed version is earlier than 12.0 and network-based debugging is used.
-
Check iOS or iPadOS version on deviceConnect the iOS/iPadOS device to a Mac, open Xcode, go to Window > Devices and Simulators, select the connected device, and view the OS version shown under Device Information.Affected if The device runs iOS or iPadOS version earlier than 14.0 and is used for network debugging sessions.
-
Determine if network debugging is enabledIn Xcode, go to Xcode > Settings > Accounts, select your team, and check if the device is set up for network-based debugging (indicated by a network icon next to the device name in the Devices pane).Affected if Network debugging is active with devices running the vulnerable software versions listed above.
You are affected if you are using Xcode versions below 12.0 or iOS/iPadOS devices below version 14.0 for network-based debug sessions, where communications travel over an untrusted network.
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 data12.014.0
Upgrade all affected devices (iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS) to version 14.0 or later, and ensure Xcode is updated to version 12.0 or later to obtain the encrypted communication fix.
- 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-2020-9992 — 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-2020-9992 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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