CVE-2020-9868 – This vulnerability allows an attacker to impers... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-9868?

CVE-2020-9868 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability allows an attacker to impersonate trusted websites by exploiting a certificate validation flaw in administrator-added certificates. It affects Apple devices running vulnerable versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Attackers could perform man-in-the-middle attacks against users of affected devices.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows an attacker to impersonate trusted websites by exploiting a certificate validation flaw in administrator-added certificates. It affects Apple devices running vulnerable versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Attackers could perform man-in-the-middle attacks against users of affected devices.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

iOS
iPadOS
macOS
tvOS
watchOS

Versions: Versions prior to iOS 13.6, iPadOS 13.6, macOS Catalina 10.15.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8

Operating Systems: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems where administrator certificates have been added. The vulnerability is in how these certificates are validated.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of encrypted communications, allowing attackers to intercept and modify sensitive data including passwords, financial information, and authentication tokens.

🟠

Likely Case

Successful man-in-the-middle attacks against users visiting websites, potentially leading to credential theft and session hijacking.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper network segmentation and certificate management controls, though risk remains for mobile devices on untrusted networks.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires the attacker to have a certificate with shared key material and the ability to perform man-in-the-middle attacks.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: iOS 13.6, iPadOS 13.6, macOS Catalina 10.15.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8

Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211288

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Settings app. 2. Navigate to General > Software Update. 3. Download and install the latest available update. 4. Restart device when prompted.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Remove administrator certificates

all

Remove any administrator-added certificates that are not absolutely necessary for operations.

For iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > Profiles & Device Management > Remove unwanted profiles
For macOS: Keychain Access > System > Certificates > Delete unwanted certificates

Network segmentation

all

Segment networks to limit exposure of vulnerable devices to untrusted networks.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict certificate management policies and audit all administrator-added certificates
Use VPN connections for all network traffic from vulnerable devices

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check device version against affected versions list. For iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version. For macOS: Apple menu > About This Mac > macOS version.

Check Version:

For macOS: sw_vers -productVersion. For iOS/iPadOS: Settings app > General > About > Version.

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify device is running iOS 13.6+, iPadOS 13.6+, macOS Catalina 10.15.6+, tvOS 13.4.8+, or watchOS 6.2.8+.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected certificate validation failures
SSL/TLS handshake anomalies
Certificate chain validation errors

Network Indicators:

Unusual certificate authorities in TLS connections
SSL/TLS interception attempts
Certificate pinning failures

SIEM Query:

ssl.certificate.issuer_dn contains "unexpected_ca" OR ssl.handshake.failed = true

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-9868

CVSS v3 Score: 9.1 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

CWE: CWE-295

Published: October 22, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211288 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211289 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211290 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211291 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211288 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211289 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211290 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211291 Vendor Advisory

📤 Share & Export

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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