dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2021-1825

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.4 / 11.3 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
An input validation issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iTunes 12.11.3 for Windows, iCloud for Windows 12.3, macOS Big Sur 11.3, Safari 14.1, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to a cross site scripting attack.

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 confidence

A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in WebKit/Safari allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted web content. The issue stemmed from insufficient input validation and was addressed with improved validation in the affected Apple product updates.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: iTunes 12.11.3 (Windows), iCloud 12.3 (Windows), macOS Big Sur 11.3, Safari 14.1, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, iOS 14.5, or iPadOS 14.5 depending on the affected platform.

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
SafariWeb browser
Affected:< 14.1
IcloudApplication
Affected:< 12.3
ItunesApplication
Affected:< 12.11.3
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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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. Check Safari version on macOS
    Open Safari, click Safari menu > About Safari. Compare the version number to the affected range (anything below 14.1).
    Affected if Safari version is lower than 14.1
  2. Check macOS version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac. The macOS version is shown (for Big Sur 11.x, any version below 11.3 is affected).
    Affected if macOS version is 11.0 through 11.2.x (inclusive)
  3. Check iTunes version on Windows
    Open iTunes, go to Help > About iTunes. Compare the version to 12.11.3.
    Affected if iTunes version is lower than 12.11.3
  4. Check iCloud for Windows version
    Open iCloud, click the gear icon > About iCloud. Compare the version to 12.3.
    Affected if iCloud version is lower than 12.3
  5. Check iOS or iPadOS version on device
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPhone or iPad. Look at the Version field.
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is lower than 14.5

You are affected if any Apple product listed above (Safari, iCloud, iTunes, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS) on your system or device is running a version below the fixed release for that product.

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 / 12.3 or later
Fixed in 7.411.312.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates: iTunes 12.11.3 (Windows), iCloud 12.3 (Windows), macOS Big Sur 11.3, Safari 14.1, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, iOS 14.5, or iPadOS 14.5 depending on the affected platform.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3, Safari 14.1, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, iCloud 12.3, iTunes 12.11.3

  1. Identify the affected Apple product(s) in use from: Safari, iCloud, iTunes, iPadOS, iPhone OS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS
  2. For iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 or later
  3. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later
  4. For Safari: Upgrade to Safari 14.1 or later (included in macOS 11.3 update or via Software Update)
  5. For Apple Watch: On the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and upgrade to watchOS 7.4 or later
  6. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and upgrade to tvOS 14.5 or later
  7. For Windows iCloud: Download and install iCloud 12.3 or later from Apple's website
  8. For Windows iTunes: Download and install iTunes 12.11.3 or later from Apple's website
Caveat Standard OS update considerations apply (backup data before updating, ensure compatibility with existing apps)

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2021-1825 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