CVE-2020-9994 Path traversal in iOS
A malicious application can overwrite arbitrary files due to a path handling issue 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-2020-9994?
CVE-2020-9994 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Apple Ipados, published on 22 Oct 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
A path handling issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5, macOS Catalina 10.15.5, tvOS 13.4.5, watchOS 6.2.5. A malicious application may be able to overwrite arbitrary files.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-9994?
It affects 5 products.
Products include Apple Ipados, Apple Iphone Os, Apple Mac Os X, Apple Tvos, Apple Watchos.
How do I fix CVE-2020-9994?
No fix has been published for CVE-2020-9994 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2020-9994 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-9994 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-6cr6-65hv-4gh7.