CVE-2020-9926 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A use after free issue in Apple products was addressed with improved memory management, affecting various versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Understanding CVE-2020-9926

What is CVE-2020-9926?

This CVE addresses a use after free issue in Apple products due to processing maliciously crafted XML, potentially leading to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

The Impact of CVE-2020-9926

The vulnerability could allow attackers to exploit the affected systems, leading to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-9926

Vulnerability Description

The issue was fixed in iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8, iCloud for Windows 7.20, macOS Catalina 10.15.6, Security Update 2020-004 Mojave, and Security Update 2020-004 High Sierra.

Affected Systems and Versions

iOS and iPadOS versions less than 13.6
macOS versions less than 10.15, 13.4, 6.2, and 7.20

Exploitation Mechanism

Processing maliciously crafted XML could trigger the vulnerability, leading to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update affected systems to the patched versions mentioned above.
Avoid opening suspicious or untrusted XML files.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and apply security patches.
Implement network security measures to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.

Patching and Updates

Ensure all Apple devices are updated to the latest recommended versions to mitigate the vulnerability.