CVE-2021-1772
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 · uneditedA stack overflow was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001 Catalina, Security Update 2021-001 Mojave, watchOS 7.3, tvOS 14.4, iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4. Processing a maliciously crafted text file may lead to arbitrary code execution.
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 · high confidenceA stack overflow vulnerability in Apple's text file processing components was addressed through improved input validation. The vulnerability could be triggered by processing a maliciously crafted text file, leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected application.
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< 14.4< 14.4>= 10.14, < 10.14.6>= 10.15, < 10.15.7= 10.14.6= 10.15.7>= 11.0, < 11.2< 14.4< 7.3CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify your macOS versionOpen System Preferences, click About, or run 'sw_vers' in TerminalAffected if Version is 10.14.x (before 10.14.6), 10.15.x (before 10.15.7), or 11.0.x through 11.1.x (before 11.2)
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Identify your iOS or iPadOS versionGo to Settings > General > About and note the Version numberAffected if Version is below 14.4 (for example, 14.3, 14.2, etc.)
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Identify your watchOS versionOpen the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, or go to Settings > General > About on the WatchAffected if Version is below 7.3
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Identify your tvOS versionGo to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TVAffected if Version is below 14.4
You are affected if your device runs any macOS version from 10.14.x, 10.15.x, 11.0-11.1, iOS/iPadOS below 14.4, watchOS below 7.3, or tvOS below 14.4, as the stack overflow exists in the built-in text file processing component present by default in these unpatched versions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data7.310.14.610.15.7
Apply the relevant vendor-supplied security updates: macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001 for Catalina/Mojave, watchOS 7.3, tvOS 14.4, iOS 14.4, or iPadOS 14.4 depending on the affected system.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1772 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-1772 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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