CVE-2021-1864
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 use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5. An attacker with JavaScript execution may be able to execute arbitrary code.
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 use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit allows attackers with JavaScript execution capability to achieve arbitrary code execution. This memory corruption flaw affects iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS prior to their 14.5/7.4 releases.
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< 14.5< 14.5< 14.5< 7.4CVSS 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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Identify your Apple device typeDetermine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple TV. This is visible in the device Settings > General > About or on the device packaging.Affected if Device is any of: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple TV (the vulnerability only affects these Apple devices)
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Check the installed iOS or iPadOS versionOn iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'.Affected if Version is below 14.5 (for example, 14.4.2, 14.4, 13.x, etc.)
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Check the installed watchOS versionOn Apple Watch, open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, and note the watchOS version. Alternatively, on the watch go to Settings > General > About.Affected if Version is below 7.4 (for example, 7.3, 7.2, 6.x, etc.)
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Check the installed tvOS versionOn Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About TV and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'.Affected if Version is below 14.5 (for example, 14.4, 14.3, 13.x, etc.)
A user is affected if they are running any vulnerable Apple mobile/tvOS (iOS < 14.5, iPadOS < 14.5, watchOS < 7.4, tvOS < 14.5) on their device, and they use WebKit-based applications which includes Safari and most third-party browsers on these platforms.
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 · scoped7.414.5
Apply the vendor-supplied updates: upgrade to iOS 14.5+, iPadOS 14.5+, watchOS 7.4+, or tvOS 14.5+ as appropriate for the affected device.
iOS 14.5 / iPadOS 14.5 / watchOS 7.4 / tvOS 14.5 or later
- Check current iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/tvOS version on the affected device via Settings > General > About
- Back up the device using iCloud or Finder/iTunes before upgrading
- Connect device to power and WiFi
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, or tvOS 14.5 depending on the device type
- Alternatively, connect to Finder/iTunes (iPhone/iPad) or Apple Configurator (other devices) for a more controlled upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1864 — 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-2021-1864 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