dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-1739

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.4 / 11.3 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A parsing issue in the handling of directory paths was addressed with improved path validation. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2021-002 Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 Mojave, iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3. A local user may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A path validation vulnerability in Apple operating systems allows a local authenticated user to bypass directory path checks and modify protected parts of the file system. The issue stems from insufficient validation during path parsing, enabling path traversal attacks against protected system directories.

MitigationApply the relevant Apple security updates: Security Update 2021-002 for Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 for Mojave, macOS Big Sur 11.3, iOS/iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, or tvOS 14.5 depending on the affected device.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 14.5
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.5
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.14, <= 10.14.5>= 10.15, <= 10.15.5= 10.14.6= 10.15= 10.15.6= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.3
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 14.5
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 7.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed Apple operating system product
    Run 'sw_vers' on macOS, or go to Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS to determine the exact product name and version number
    Affected if The product name and version cannot be determined or does not match any Apple OS in the affected list
  2. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' to get the exact macOS version number (e.g., 10.14.6, 10.15.7, 11.2)
    Affected if Version is 10.14.x and <= 10.14.6, OR 10.15.x and <= 10.15.7, OR >= 11.0 and < 11.3 (including 11.0, 11.1, 11.2)
  3. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number (e.g., 14.4)
    Affected if Version number is less than 14.5 (e.g., 14.4, 14.3, 13.x, etc.)
  4. Check tvOS or watchOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on Apple TV or Apple Watch companion app to find the version number
    Affected if Version is less than 14.5 for tvOS, or less than 7.4 for watchOS

If the installed OS version falls within any of the affected ranges (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS < 14.5, macOS 10.14.x through 10.14.6, 10.15.x through 10.15.7, or macOS 11.0 through 11.2.x), the environment is affected by this path traversal vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.4 / 11.3 / 14.5 or later
Fixed in 7.411.314.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Apple security updates: Security Update 2021-002 for Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 for Mojave, macOS Big Sur 11.3, iOS/iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, or tvOS 14.5 depending on the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3, Security Update 2021-002 Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 Mojave

  1. Identify the affected Apple device from the list: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 14.5 or later
  3. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later, or install Security Update 2021-002 (Catalina) or Security Update 2021-003 (Mojave)
  4. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone companion app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 7.4 or later
  5. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 14.5 or later
  6. After updating, verify the installation was successful by checking the OS version in Settings

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,210
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,936.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-1739 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data