CVE-2020-9919 – This CVE describes a buffer overflow vulnerabil... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-9919?

CVE-2020-9919 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE describes a buffer overflow vulnerability in Apple's image processing components across multiple platforms. Attackers can exploit it by crafting malicious images that trigger arbitrary code execution when processed. All users running vulnerable Apple operating systems or software are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a buffer overflow vulnerability in Apple's image processing components across multiple platforms. Attackers can exploit it by crafting malicious images that trigger arbitrary code execution when processed. All users running vulnerable Apple operating systems or software are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

iOS
iPadOS
macOS
tvOS
watchOS
iTunes for Windows
iCloud for Windows

Versions: Versions before 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 as image processing is a core system function.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full system compromise with attacker gaining complete control over the device, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the application processing the image, typically leading to user-level compromise and potential privilege escalation.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if systems are fully patched or if image processing is disabled/restricted.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction (processing a malicious image) but no authentication. Buffer overflow exploitation typically requires specific memory manipulation knowledge.

🛠️ 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 available update. 4. Restart the device when prompted.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable automatic image processing

all

Prevent applications from automatically processing untrusted images by adjusting security settings.

Use application sandboxing

macOS

Configure applications to run in restricted environments to limit potential damage from exploitation.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable systems from critical assets
Deploy application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

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

Check Version:

macOS: sw_vers -productVersion, iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version, Windows: wmic product get name,version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version number matches or exceeds patched versions listed in affected_systems.versions.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Application crashes in image processing components
Unusual process spawning from image viewers/editors
Memory access violation errors

Network Indicators:

Downloads of suspicious image files from untrusted sources
Unusual outbound connections from image processing applications

SIEM Query:

source="*apple*" AND (event_type="crash" OR process_name IN ("Preview", "Photos", "Safari")) AND image_file="*.jpg" OR "*.png" OR "*.gif"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-9919

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-787

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

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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