How severe is CVE-2020-9978?

CVE-2020-9978 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2020-9978 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (40th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-9978?

CVE-2020-9978 primarily affects Apple Ipados. In total, 20 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-9978?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-9978 published?

CVE-2020-9978 was published on 2021-04-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-9978

CVE-2020-9978 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apple Ipados with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.5)
CVSS v2: 2.7
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (40th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Apple Ipados
Published: 2021-04-02
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

This issue was addressed with improved setting propagation. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, tvOS 14.0, macOS Big Sur 11.1, Security Update 2020-001 Catalina, Security Update 2020-007 Mojave, watchOS 7.0, iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to unexpectedly alter application state.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-9978?: This issue was addressed with improved setting propagation. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, tvOS 14.0, macOS Big Sur 11.1, Security Update 2020-001 Catalina, Security Update 2020-007 Mojave, watchOS 7.0, iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to unexpectedly alter application state.
How severe is CVE-2020-9978?: CVE-2020-9978 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2020-9978 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (40th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-9978?: CVE-2020-9978 primarily affects Apple Ipados. In total, 20 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-9978?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-9978 published?: CVE-2020-9978 was published on 2021-04-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (20)

cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2019-001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2019-002:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2019-006:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2019-007:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2020-001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2020-002:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2020-003:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2020-004:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2020-005:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:security_update_2020-006:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:supplemental_update:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.14.6:supplemental_update_2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.15.7:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:10.15.7:supplemental_update:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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