CVE-2020-9931
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause denial of service by sending specially crafted input to iOS/iPadOS devices, leading to unexpected application termination. It affects Apple iOS and iPadOS users running versions before 13.6.
💻 Affected Systems
- iOS
- iPadOS
📦 What is this software?
Ipados by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Critical applications or services could be rendered unavailable through repeated exploitation, potentially disrupting device functionality.
Likely Case
Individual applications crash or become unresponsive, requiring restart but not causing permanent damage.
If Mitigated
With proper patching, no impact occurs as the vulnerability is fully addressed.
🎯 Exploit Status
Remote exploitation without authentication is possible based on CVE description.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: iOS 13.6, iPadOS 13.6
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/HT211288
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update. 2. Download and install iOS 13.6 or iPadOS 13.6. 3. Restart device after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network segmentation
allRestrict network access to affected devices to reduce attack surface
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network filtering to block suspicious input patterns
- Monitor for application crashes and investigate potential exploitation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check iOS/iPadOS version in Settings > General > About > VersionCheck Version:
Not applicable for iOS/iPadOS - use Settings appVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version shows iOS 13.6 or iPadOS 13.6 or later📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected application termination logs
- Crash reports for iOS applications
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network traffic patterns to iOS devices
- Repeated connection attempts to vulnerable services
SIEM Query:
source="ios_logs" AND (event="app_crash" OR event="unexpected_termination")