CVE-2020-36615
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into processing a malicious font file. It affects macOS systems before Big Sur 11.0.1. Users who open untrusted documents or visit malicious websites could be compromised.
💻 Affected Systems
- macOS
📦 What is this software?
Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining root privileges and persistent access.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or remote code execution when user interacts with malicious content.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper patch management and user awareness training.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires user interaction to process malicious font, but font parsing is common in many applications.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Big Sur 11.0.1
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211931
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Preferences > Software Update. 2. Install macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 or later. 3. Restart computer when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable automatic font processing
allPrevent automatic font loading in web browsers and document viewers
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user privileges to limit impact of potential exploitation
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version: if earlier than 11.0.1, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is 11.0.1 or later via System Information.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected font parsing errors
- Application crashes related to font handling
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of font files from untrusted sources
SIEM Query:
Process execution from font parsing applications with suspicious parent processes