CVE-2020-9822
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a kernel privilege escalation vulnerability in macOS where a malicious application could exploit an out-of-bounds write to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. This affects macOS systems prior to Catalina 10.15.5. Attackers could gain complete control of affected systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- macOS
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with kernel-level access, allowing attackers to install persistent malware, steal all data, and control the entire system.
Likely Case
Malicious applications bypassing macOS security controls to gain elevated privileges and perform unauthorized actions.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if systems are fully patched and application execution is restricted through security policies.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local application execution. Exploitation involves memory corruption techniques.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Catalina 10.15.5
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/HT211170
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Preferences > Software Update. 2. Install macOS Catalina 10.15.5 update. 3. Restart the system when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict application execution
allUse macOS security policies to restrict execution of untrusted applications
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict application control policies to prevent execution of untrusted applications
- Limit user privileges and use standard user accounts instead of administrator accounts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check macOS version: if earlier than 10.15.5, system is vulnerableCheck Version:
sw_versVerify Fix Applied:
Verify macOS version is 10.15.5 or later📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected kernel extensions loading
- Unusual privilege escalation attempts in system logs
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
macOS kernel extension loading events from untrusted sources