CVE-2021-1829
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 type confusion issue was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.3. An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel 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 · high confidenceCVE-2021-1829 is a type confusion vulnerability in the macOS kernel that allows a malicious application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. The vulnerability was addressed through improved state handling in macOS Big Sur 11.3.
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>= 11.0, < 11.3CVSS 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
- 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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Determine the installed macOS versionRun `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal to obtain the exact macOS version numberAffected if The version is 11.0, 11.1, 11.2, or 11.2.x (any version in the 11.0 to 11.2.x range)
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Confirm the macOS major releaseRun `uname -r` or check System Preferences About to verify the system is running macOS Big Sur (11.x)Affected if The system is running Big Sur (11.x) rather than an earlier or later macOS release
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Identify kernel patch levelRun `system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType` and look at the Kernel Version field or check the Security Update history in System PreferencesAffected if The system shows no security updates installed after the 11.3 release date (May 2021)
The system is affected if it is running any macOS Big Sur version from 11.0 through 11.2.x, as these versions contain the vulnerable kernel code that was patched in 11.3.
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 · scoped11.3
Apply macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later security update to patch the kernel vulnerability. Prioritize systems with exposure to untrusted applications or network-facing services.
macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later
- Back up all important data before initiating the system update
- Verify the current macOS version by going to Apple menu > About This Mac
- Open the App Store application and navigate to the Updates tab
- Download and install macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later (or check for updates via Software Update in System Preferences)
- Restart the system when prompted to complete the installation
- After rebooting, verify the installed version by checking About This Mac to confirm macOS 11.3 or higher is running
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1829 — 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-2021-1829 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