dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-1770

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.4 / 11.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 buffer overflow may result in arbitrary code execution. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.3, iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5. A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.

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 buffer overflow vulnerability in Apple's core operating system components affecting macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS that may allow arbitrary code execution due to improper state management. The flaw is exploitable remotely with network access.

MitigationApply vendor patches immediately by updating all Apple devices to macOS Big Sur 11.3+, iOS/iPadOS 14.5+, watchOS 7.4+, or tvOS 14.5+ to remediate the vulnerability.

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
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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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 Apple platform in use
    Determine whether the system is running macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, or tvOS. This vulnerability affects all these platforms differently.
    Affected if The device is any Apple product running one of the affected operating systems.
  2. Check the installed macOS version
    On macOS, open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion. Compare the output to the affected range: >= 11.0 and < 11.3.
    Affected if The macOS version is 11.0, 11.1, or 11.2 (any version >= 11.0 but below 11.3).
  3. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Compare the version number to the affected range: < 14.5.
    Affected if The iOS/iPadOS version is 14.4 or earlier.
  4. Check the installed watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on iPhone > General > About > watchOS Version. Compare to affected range: < 7.4.
    Affected if The watchOS version is 7.3 or earlier.
  5. Check the installed tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About > Version. Compare to affected range: < 14.5.
    Affected if The tvOS version is 14.4 or earlier.

The system is affected if it is running any macOS version 11.0-11.2, iOS/iPadOS 14.4 or earlier, watchOS 7.3 or earlier, or tvOS 14.4 or earlier.

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 vendor patches immediately by updating all Apple devices to macOS Big Sur 11.3+, iOS/iPadOS 14.5+, watchOS 7.4+, or tvOS 14.5+ to remediate the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.5+/iPadOS 14.5+/macOS Big Sur 11.3+/watchOS 7.4+/tvOS 14.5+

  1. Identify the affected Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV)
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 14.5 or later
  3. For Mac: Navigate to System Preferences > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later
  4. For Apple Watch: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update on the paired iPhone, or directly on watch via Settings > General > Software Update, and upgrade to watchOS 7.4 or later
  5. For Apple TV: Navigate to Settings > System > Software Updates and enable 'Update Automatically', then upgrade to tvOS 14.5 or later
  6. After update, verify the device is running the fixed version
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - review app compatibility before upgrading production devices

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,000
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,800.

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-2021-1770 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