# CVE-2019-8900: Code injection in SecureROM

> An attacker with physical access can execute arbitrary code on Apple devices during boot in DFU mode via a SecureROM vulnerability.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 22 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rq4h-cqfg-pj23

## What is CVE-2019-8900?

CVE-2019-8900 is a medium-severity code injection vulnerability in Apple SecureROM, published on 21 Feb 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the SecureROM of some Apple devices can be exploited by an unauthenticated local attacker to execute arbitrary code upon booting those devices. This vulnerability allows arbitrary code to be executed on the device. Exploiting the vulnerability requires physical access to the device: the device must be plugged in to a computer upon booting, and it must be put into Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode. The exploit is not persistent; rebooting the device overrides any changes to the device's software that were made during an exploited session on the device. Additionally, unless an attacker has access to the device's unlock PIN or fingerprint, an attacker cannot gain access to information protected by Apple's Secure Enclave or Touch ID features.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-8900?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Apple Securerom.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-8900?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-8900 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-8900 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-8900 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- checkm8 (CVE-2019-8900) for Apple A9, native to Linux — and a verdict system that never confuses 'this host cannot reset' with 'the exploit did not work'. (github_poc): https://github.com/Weeabo-Inc/a9pwn

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-8900 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-8900 is a medium-severity code injection vulnerability in Apple SecureROM, published on 21 Feb 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-8900 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Apple SecureROM. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-8900/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-8900/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-8900
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-8900
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-8900

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-8900/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.