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Apple Pointer Authentication bypass
Apple describes CVE-2020-9910 as one of multiple issues addressed with improved logic. The available vendor description states that a malicious attacker with arbitrary read and write capability may be able to bypass Pointer Authentication. The issue was fixed in iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8, Safari 13.1.2, iTunes 12.10.8 for Windows, iCloud for Windows 11.3, and iCloud for Windows 7.20. Supporting context further identifies CVE-2020-9910 as a mitigation-bypass issue referenced alongside exploitation of CVE-2020-9802 in WebKit/JavaScriptCore exploit chains.
What it means and what to do now: patch path, interim mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
Successful exploitation can defeat Pointer Authentication as a mitigation, allowing an attacker who already has arbitrary memory read/write to continue exploitation that would otherwise be impeded by PAC-protected pointers. In practical terms, this can increase exploit reliability and enable progression from a memory-corruption primitive to more powerful outcomes such as stable arbitrary code execution within the targeted process or exploit-chain completion.
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure to exploit chains that can furnish arbitrary read/write, especially untrusted web content in Safari/WebKit contexts. Limit access to attacker-controlled content, use updated OS/browser builds where possible, and prioritize patching of associated WebKit/JavaScriptCore vulnerabilities such as CVE-2020-9802 that were referenced with this bypass. No specific standalone workaround is provided in the available content.
Patch, then assume compromise.
Apply the vendor fixes: iOS 13.6 and iPadOS 13.6, tvOS 13.4.8, watchOS 6.2.8, Safari 13.1.2, iTunes 12.10.8 for Windows, iCloud for Windows 11.3, or iCloud for Windows 7.20, as applicable. Because this is a mitigation-bypass issue used in exploit chains, remediation should include patching the underlying memory-corruption vulnerabilities that provide the prerequisite arbitrary read/write capability.
No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
3 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.