CVE-2020-9971 Privilege escalation in iOS and iPadOS
A malicious application can elevate privileges on Apple devices due to a logic issue, requiring users to update their 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-2020-9971?
CVE-2020-9971 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple Ipados, 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
A logic issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in watchOS 7.0, tvOS 14.0, iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0, macOS Big Sur 11.0.1. A malicious application may be able to elevate privileges.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-9971?
It affects 5 products.
Products include Apple Ipados, Apple Iphone Os, Apple Macos, Apple Tvos, Apple Watchos.
How do I fix CVE-2020-9971?
No fix has been published for CVE-2020-9971 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2020-9971 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-9971 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-w445-c7r5-4m2m.