CVE-2020-9875 – An integer overflow vulnerability in Apple's im... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-9875?

CVE-2020-9875 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). An integer overflow vulnerability in Apple's image processing components allows arbitrary code execution when processing malicious images. This affects multiple Apple operating systems and software on Windows, potentially enabling attackers to take control of affected devices.

📋 TL;DR

An integer overflow vulnerability in Apple's image processing components allows arbitrary code execution when processing malicious images. This affects multiple Apple operating systems and software on Windows, potentially enabling attackers to take control of affected devices.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

iOS
iPadOS
macOS
tvOS
watchOS
iTunes for Windows
iCloud for Windows

Versions: Versions prior to iOS 13.6, iPadOS 13.6, macOS Catalina 10.15.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8, iTunes 12.10.8, iCloud for Windows 11.3/7.20

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

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default configurations are vulnerable. The vulnerability is in core image processing libraries used across Apple platforms.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise via remote code execution, allowing attacker to install malware, steal data, or pivot to other systems.

🟠

Likely Case

Malicious image delivered via email, messaging, or web content leads to device compromise and data theft.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper network segmentation and application sandboxing, though local privilege escalation may still occur.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction to process malicious image, but no authentication is needed. No public exploit code is known.

🛠️ 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, iTunes 12.10.8, iCloud for Windows 11.3/7.20

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

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Settings/System Preferences. 2. Navigate to Software Update. 3. Download and install the latest update. 4. Restart the device when prompted.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable automatic image processing

all

Configure email clients and browsers to not automatically download or process images from untrusted sources.

Network filtering

all

Block image file types at network perimeter for untrusted sources.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Segment affected devices from critical network resources
Implement application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized code execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check system version against affected versions list. On Apple devices: Settings > General > About > Version. On Windows: Help > About in iTunes/iCloud.

Check Version:

On macOS: sw_vers -productVersion. On iOS/iPadOS: UIDevice.current.systemVersion (programmatic).

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version number matches or exceeds patched versions listed in fix_official.patch_version.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected process crashes in image processing services
Suspicious image file downloads from untrusted sources

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from Apple devices after image processing
Image downloads from suspicious domains

SIEM Query:

source="apple-device-logs" AND (event="crash" AND process="image*" OR event="download" AND file_type="image")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-9875

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-190

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/HT211293 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211294 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211295 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
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211293 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211294 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211295 Vendor Advisory

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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