CVE-2021-1787
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 · uneditedMultiple issues were addressed with improved logic. 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. A local attacker may be able to elevate their privileges.
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 confidenceA local privilege escalation vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems (macOS, watchOS, tvOS, iOS, iPadOS) that allowed a local attacker to elevate their privileges. The specific technical details of the flaw are not disclosed, but the fix was implemented through improved logic in the affected systems.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check macOS version on Mac computersRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This MacAffected if The version is 10.14.x, 10.15.x, 11.0, or 11.1 (versions below 10.14.6, 10.15.7, or 11.2)
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Check iOS version on iPhoneGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the deviceAffected if The version is below 14.4 (for example, 14.3, 14.2, etc.)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version on the deviceAffected if The version is below 14.4
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, or check directly on Apple Watch in Settings > General > AboutAffected if The version is below 7.3
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TVAffected if The version is below 14.4
If the operating system version on any Apple device falls within the affected ranges (iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/tvOS below 14.4/7.3, macOS 10.14.x/10.15.x below the patched versions, or macOS 11.0-11.1), the environment is affected by this privilege escalation vulnerability.
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 Apple security updates: macOS Big Sur 11.2 or Security Update 2021-001 for Catalina/Mojave, watchOS 7.3, tvOS 14.4, iOS 14.4, or iPadOS 14.4 depending on the affected device.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1787 — 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-2021-1787 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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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.
- 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