What is CVE-2019-8900?
A vulnerability in the SecureROM of some Apple devices can be exploited by an unauthenticated local attacker to execute arbitrary code upon booting those devices. This vulnerability allows arbitrary code to be executed on the device. Exploiting the vulnerability requires physical access to the device: the device must be plugged in to a computer upon booting, and it must be put into Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode. The exploit is not persistent; rebooting the device overrides any changes to the device's software that were made during an exploited session on the device. Additionally, unless an attacker has access to the device's unlock PIN or fingerprint, an attacker cannot gain access to information protected by Apple's Secure Enclave or Touch ID features.
The record classifies CVE-2019-8900 under weakness class CWE-94. Its CVSS v3 base vector states that the flaw requires physical access to the device, needs no prior authentication, needs no user interaction, and has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability. 1 affected-product entry is recorded, across 1 vendor, listed below. The identifier was first published 614 days ago.
Severity and exploitation probability
- CVSS v3.1 base score
- 6.8 — MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - EPSS (FIRST)
- 68.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99.3% of all scored CVEs
- CISA KEV
- Not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- Threadlinqs priority
- 9.4/10 — a Threadlinqs composite of the CVSS base score, the EPSS percentile and public exploit availability
- Published
- 2025-02-21, last modified 2025-02-22
Is CVE-2019-8900 being exploited?
Weaponised exploit code for CVE-2019-8900 is publicly available. 2 public proof-of-concept repositories are tracked for this identifier. It currently carries a trending score of 38 in the Threadlinqs vulnerability feed.
- Weeabo-Inc/a9pwn (github)
- trickest/cve (trickest)
Affected products and versions
- Apple: SecureROM
How to fix CVE-2019-8900
No vendor patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2019-8900 in the tracked sources. Follow the references below for a fix, and treat the products listed above as exposed until the vendor states otherwise.
Threat activity tracking CVE-2019-8900
1 tracked threat in the Threadlinqs corpus references CVE-2019-8900, either in the campaign’s CVE list or as an indicator on the campaign record.
Sources
Enriched from CVE.org, FIRST EPSS, GitHub Security Advisories, public proof-of-concept repositories. Last verified by Threadlinqs on .