# CVE-2019-8900 — Apple SecureROM

> As of 2025-02-22, CVE-2019-8900 is a MEDIUM-severity vulnerability in Apple SecureROM, CVSS v3.1 6.8, EPSS 68.5% (99.3th percentile). Threadlinqs Intelligence links 1 tracked threat campaign to CVE-2019-8900, most recently “usbliter8 — Unpatchable BootROM USB DMA Exploit on Apple A12/A12X/A12Z/A13 and S4/S5 Chips Bypassing Secure Boot”.

**Last updated:** 2025-02-22

## 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](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/cwe/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](https://github.com/Weeabo-Inc/a9pwn) (github)
- [trickest/cve](https://github.com/trickest/cve/blob/main/2019/CVE-2019-8900.md) (trickest)

## Affected products and versions

- [Apple](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/vendors/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.

- [usbliter8 — Unpatchable BootROM USB DMA Exploit on Apple A12/A12X/A12Z/A13 and S4/S5 Chips Bypassing Secure Boot](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/threat/TL-2026-0860) — CRITICAL · 2026-06-18

## Sources

Enriched from CVE.org, FIRST EPSS, GitHub Security Advisories, public proof-of-concept repositories. Last verified by Threadlinqs on 2026-10-10.

**Other references**

- [kb.cert.org](https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/941987)

Canonical: https://intel.threadlinqs.com/cve/CVE-2019-8900
Full detection coverage and IOCs for threats exploiting CVE-2019-8900 via the Threadlinqs MCP server (Purple tier): https://intel.threadlinqs.com/mcp