CVE-2021-1794
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 · uneditedAn out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4. A remote attacker may be able to cause 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 · moderate confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in iOS and iPadOS that allows a remote attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability was addressed through improved input validation and is fixed in iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4.
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< 14.4CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS version on iPhoneGo to Settings > General > About > Version. Alternatively, connect device to computer with iTunes or Finder and check the device summary page.Affected if The version displayed is less than 14.4 (for example, 14.3, 14.2, etc.)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadGo to Settings > General > About > Version. Alternatively, connect device to computer with iTunes or Finder and check the device summary page.Affected if The version displayed is less than 14.4 (for example, 14.3, 14.2, etc.)
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Identify if WebKit or Safari is in useThis vulnerability is in WebKit (the browser engine used by Safari). The flaw is triggered when processing malicious web content.Affected if The device uses Safari or any app that embeds WebKit (which includes most third-party browsers on iOS/iPadOS), and the OS version is below 14.4
The device is affected if it is running iOS or iPadOS version lower than 14.4 and processes untrusted web content through Safari or WebKit-based applications.
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.
dbcve · scoped14.4
Organizations should upgrade affected iOS/iPadOS devices to version 14.4 or later to remediate this critical vulnerability.
iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4
- Backup your iPhone or iPad to iCloud or your computer before updating
- On your device, go to Settings > General > Software Update to check your current iOS/iPadOS version
- If the device is running a version lower than 14.4, download and install iOS 14.4 or iPadOS 14.4 from the Software Update screen
- After updating, verify the version by going to Settings > General > About and confirm it shows 14.4
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1794 — 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-2021-1794 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