CVE-2020-27949 Memory corruption in macOS

Medium 5.5 Published 2 Apr 2021 Updated 4 Aug 2024

A malicious application can corrupt memory in processes traced by DTrace, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation on macOS.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: A user has to click or open something
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2020-27949?

CVE-2020-27949 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Apple Mac Os X, published on 2 Apr 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

This issue was addressed with improved checks to prevent unauthorized actions. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.1, Security Update 2020-001 Catalina, Security Update 2020-007 Mojave. A malicious application may cause unexpected changes in memory belonging to processes traced by DTrace.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-27949?

It affects 2 products.

Products include Apple Mac Os X, Apple Macos.

How do I fix CVE-2020-27949?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-27949 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.

Is CVE-2020-27949 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-27949 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code: 1 proofs of concept on GitHub.

All Apple Mac Os X vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-674m-959c-gvpx.