CVE-2020-3838 Privilege escalation in iOS
An application can execute arbitrary code with system privileges due to flawed permissions logic in Apple operating systems.
- 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-2020-3838?
CVE-2020-3838 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple Ipados, published on 27 Feb 2020. 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
The issue was addressed with improved permissions logic. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.3.1 and iPadOS 13.3.1, macOS Catalina 10.15.3, tvOS 13.3.1, watchOS 6.1.2. An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges.
Weakness: CWE-276
Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-3838?
It affects 5 products.
Products include Apple Ipados, Apple Iphone Os, Apple Mac Os X, Apple Tvos, Apple Watchos.
How do I fix CVE-2020-3838?
No fix has been published for CVE-2020-3838 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2020-3838 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-3838 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Apple Ipados
- CVE-2025-43300 Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Out-of-Bounds Write
- CVE-2025-24201 Apple Multiple Products WebKit Out-of-Bounds Write
- CVE-2025-24085 Apple Multiple Products Use-After-Free
- CVE-2025-31200 Apple Multiple Products Memory Corruption
- CVE-2025-31201 Apple Multiple Products Arbitrary Read and Write
Sources
Also known as GHSA-xmp4-jqff-7hx8.