CVE-2020-27897: Apple macOS AppleIntelKBLGraphics IOCTL 0x10003 Out-Of-Bounds Write Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Published Nov 12, 2020
·
Updated

An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.1, Security Update 2020-001 Catalina, Security Update 2020-007 Mojave, macOS Big Sur 11.0.1. An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

Other sources

Intel Graphics Driver. An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.

This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Apple macOS. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of IOCTL 0x10003 in the AppleIntelKBLGraphics kext. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated data structure. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the kernel.

Credit

ABC Research s.r.o.(Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative), Xiaolong Bai, Min (Spark) Zheng(Alibaba Inc), Luyi Xing(Indiana University Bloomington)

Affected Software

21 affected componentsFixes available
Apple macOS Big Sur<11.0.1
11.0.1
Apple macOS Big Sur<11.1
11.1
Apple Catalina
Apple Mojave
Apple iOS and macOS>=10.14<10.14.6
Apple iOS and macOS>=10.15<10.15.7
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-security_update_2019-001
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-security_update_2019-002
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-security_update_2020-001
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-security_update_2020-002
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-security_update_2020-003
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-security_update_2020-004
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-security_update_2020-005
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-security_update_2020-006
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-supplemental_update
Apple iOS and macOS=10.14.6-supplemental_update_2
Apple iOS and macOS=10.15.7
Apple iOS and macOS=10.15.7-supplemental_update
Apple macOS>=11.0<11.1
Apple macOS

Event History

Apr 2, 2021
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:26 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:26 PM
DescriptionWeakness
Mar 24, 2025
Advisory Published
via ZDI·11:02 PM

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Peer vulnerabilities

Found alongside the following vulnerabilities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2020-27897?

CVE-2020-27897 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the Intel Graphics Driver that has been addressed with improved bounds checking.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2020-27897?

The severity of CVE-2020-27897 is not specified in the provided information.

3

What software versions are affected by CVE-2020-27897?

CVE-2020-27897 affects macOS Big Sur versions up to and including 11.0.1, and macOS Catalina and Mojave are also potentially affected.

4

How can I mitigate CVE-2020-27897?

To mitigate CVE-2020-27897, update your macOS Big Sur to version 11.1 or later when available, as Apple has addressed this vulnerability in macOS Big Sur 11.1.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2020-27897?

More information about CVE-2020-27897 can be found on the Apple support page: [https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212011](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212011)

Contact

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