What is CVE-2020-9854?

CVE-2020-9854 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple iOS. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2020-10-22.

How severe is CVE-2020-9854?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Is CVE-2020-9854 known to be exploited?

4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Vulnerability in Apple iOS

CVE-2020-9854

A logic 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. An application may be able to gain elevated privileges.

Published 2020-10-22 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.004 (32.5th percentile), scored 2026-10-02.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 33rd percentile — 32.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.004 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Apple iOS — versions unspecified
Apple Ipados
Apple Iphone OS
Apple macOS — versions unspecified
Apple Mac OS X
Apple tvOS — versions unspecified

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

support.apple.com/kb/HT211170 (Vendor Advisory)
support.apple.com/kb/HT211168 (Vendor Advisory)
support.apple.com/kb/HT211171 (Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-9854?: CVE-2020-9854 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple iOS. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2020-10-22.
How severe is CVE-2020-9854?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2020-9854 known to be exploited?: 4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.