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Vulnerability DatabaseCVE-2020-9851

CVE-2020-9851: 
macOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

CVE-2020-9851 is a security vulnerability discovered in macOS Catalina 10.15.4 that was fixed in version 10.15.5, disclosed on May 26, 2020. The vulnerability affects the PackageKit component of macOS and allows a malicious application to modify protected parts of the file system (Apple Security).

Technical details

The vulnerability is an access control issue within the PackageKit component of macOS. The security flaw was addressed by implementing improved access restrictions. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 Base Score of 5.5 (MEDIUM) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N, indicating local access is required and user interaction is needed (NVD Database).

Impact

When exploited, this vulnerability allows a malicious application to modify protected parts of the file system, potentially compromising system security and data integrity (Apple Security).

Exploitability

The vulnerability requires local access and user interaction to be exploited. A malicious application must be running on the target system to take advantage of this security flaw (NVD Database).

Mitigation and workarounds

Apple addressed this vulnerability in macOS Catalina 10.15.5 by implementing improved access restrictions. Users should update to this version or later to protect against this security flaw (Apple Security).

Additional resources

Source: This report was generated using AI

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