What is CVE-2020-9946?

CVE-2020-9946 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apple iOS, classified under Improper Locking. CVSS score: 6.8/10. Published 2020-10-16.

How severe is CVE-2020-9946?

Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.8 out of 10.

Vulnerability in Apple iOS

CVE-2020-9946

This issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0, watchOS 7.0. The screen lock may not engage after the specified time period.

Published 2020-10-16 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 6.8 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.003 (21.2th percentile), scored 2026-10-01.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 21st percentile — 21.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.003 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Apple iOS — versions unspecified
Apple Ipados
Apple Iphone OS
Apple watchOS — versions unspecified

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-667 — Improper Locking

References

support.apple.com/HT211850 (Release Notes, Vendor Advisory)
support.apple.com/HT211844 (Release Notes, Vendor Advisory)
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/Nov/20 (mailing-list, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/Nov/22 (mailing-list, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-9946?: CVE-2020-9946 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apple iOS, classified under Improper Locking. CVSS score: 6.8/10. Published 2020-10-16.
How severe is CVE-2020-9946?: Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.8 out of 10.