How severe is CVE-2020-9992?

CVE-2020-9992 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-9992 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-9992?

CVE-2020-9992 primarily affects Apple Xcode. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-9992?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-9992 published?

CVE-2020-9992 was published on 2020-10-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-9992

CVE-2020-9992 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple Xcode with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 9.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (86th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Apple Xcode
Published: 2020-10-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

This issue was addressed by encrypting communications over the network to devices running iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0, Xcode 12.0. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to execute arbitrary code on a paired device during a debug session over the network.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-9992?: This issue was addressed by encrypting communications over the network to devices running iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.0 and iPadOS 14.0, Xcode 12.0. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to execute arbitrary code on a paired device during a debug session over the network.
How severe is CVE-2020-9992?: CVE-2020-9992 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-9992 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-9992?: CVE-2020-9992 primarily affects Apple Xcode. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-9992?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-9992 published?: CVE-2020-9992 was published on 2020-10-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:apple:xcode:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Apple Xcode

CVE-2021-44228 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Apache Log4j2 2.0-beta9 through 2.15.0 (excluding security releases 2.12.2, 2.12.3, and 2.3.1) JNDI features used in…
CVE-2014-9390 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Git before 1.8.5.6, 1.9.x before 1.9.5, 2.0.x before 2.0.5, 2.1.x before 2.1.4, and 2.2.x before 2.2.1 on Windows and…
CVE-2019-14379 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): SubTypeValidator.java in FasterXML jackson-databind before 2.9.9.2 mishandles default typing when ehcache is used…
CVE-2018-4164 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. Xcode before 9.3 is affected. The issue, which is unspecified,…
CVE-2016-0746 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Use-after-free vulnerability in the resolver in nginx 0.6.18 through 1.8.0 and 1.9.x before 1.9.10 allows remote…
CVE-2004-2687 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): distcc 2.x, as used in XCode 1.5 and others, when not configured to restrict access to the server port, allows remote…

All CVEs affecting Apple Xcode →