dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-1868

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.4 / 11.3 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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
A logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2021-002 Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 Mojave, iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3. 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 confidence

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in multiple Apple operating systems (macOS, iOS/iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS). The flaw is a logic issue in state management that allows a local attacker with low-level access to elevate their privileges to higher (potentially root/administrator) levels. The fix involves improved state management within the affected components.

MitigationApply the relevant security updates: Security Update 2021-002 for Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 for Mojave, macOS Big Sur 11.3, iOS 14.5/iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, and tvOS 14.5. Prioritize systems with direct user access or multi-user environments.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 14.5
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.5
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.14, <= 10.14.5>= 10.15, <= 10.15.5= 10.14.6= 10.15.6= 10.15.7
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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version is 10.14.x (through 10.14.5 or exactly 10.14.6), 10.15.x (through 10.15.5, or exactly 10.15.6 or 10.15.7), or 11.0 through 11.2.x (any version below 11.3)
  2. Check iOS/iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device and note the version number
    Affected if The version is any release earlier than 14.5 (for example, 14.4.x, 14.3.x, etc.)
  3. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About and note the version
    Affected if The version is any release earlier than 7.4
  4. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TV
    Affected if The version is any release earlier than 14.5
  5. Verify patch status via system update
    On macOS: System Preferences > Software Update. On iOS: Settings > General > Software Update. Confirm if updates are available or if the system reports being up to date.
    Affected if The system reports being up to date at a version still listed in the affected ranges, meaning the security update has not been applied

You are affected if any Apple device runs an OS version that falls within the vulnerable ranges listed (all versions below 14.5 for iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/tvOS, or the specific macOS versions 10.14.x, 10.15.x, and 11.0-11.2.x), and the corresponding security update has not been installed.

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 / 14.5 or later
Fixed in 7.411.314.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant security updates: Security Update 2021-002 for Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 for Mojave, macOS Big Sur 11.3, iOS 14.5/iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, and tvOS 14.5. Prioritize systems with direct user access or multi-user environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.5 / iPadOS 14.5 / watchOS 7.4 / tvOS 14.5 / macOS 11.3 / Security Update 2021-002 Catalina / Security Update 2021-003 Mojave

  1. For iOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 14.5 or later
  2. For iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 14.5 or later
  3. For Apple Watch: On your iPhone, open the Watch app and go to My Watch > General > Software Update to install watchOS 7.4 or later
  4. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 14.5 or later
  5. For macOS Big Sur (11.x): Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS 11.3 or later
  6. For macOS Catalina (10.15): Install Security Update 2021-002 Catalina via System Preferences > Software Update
  7. For macOS Mojave (10.14): Install Security Update 2021-003 Mojave via System Preferences > Software Update
Caveat Standard OS update risks - ensure backups before updating

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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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-2021-1868 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