dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30703

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.5 / 11.4 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 double free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in tvOS 14.6, iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6, Security Update 2021-004 Catalina, Security Update 2021-005 Mojave, macOS Big Sur 11.4, watchOS 7.5. 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 confidence

A double-free vulnerability in Apple's kernel allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. This memory management flaw affects iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, macOS Big Sur 11.4, and Security Updates 2021-004/005 for older macOS versions.

MitigationApply the relevant security update for each affected Apple platform: iOS/iPadOS 14.6, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, macOS Big Sur 11.4, or Security Update 2021-004/005 for Catalina/Mojave.

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:< 14.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.6
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.14, <= 10.14.5>= 10.15, <= 10.15.6= 10.14.6= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.4
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 14.6
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 7.5

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 iOS or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number shown next to 'Version'
    Affected if The version is lower than 14.6 (for example, 14.5, 14.4, etc.)
  2. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number
    Affected if The version is lower than 14.6
  3. Check watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, open the Settings app, go to General > About, and note the watchOS version; or check via the Watch app on paired iPhone under General > About
    Affected if The version is lower than 7.5
  4. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number appears below the macOS name (for example, 11.3, 11.2, 10.15.6)
    Affected if The version is 11.0, 11.1, 11.2, or 11.3 (any version >= 11.0 but less than 11.4), OR if running older macOS (Catalina 10.15.x or Mojave 10.14.x), the version is 10.14.x up to 10.14.5, or 10.15.x up to 10.15.6, or specifically 10.14.6 or 10.15.7

You are affected if your device runs any version of iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS before the 14.6/7.5 updates, or macOS Big Sur before 11.4, or certain older macOS versions as listed in the affected ranges.

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 7.5 / 11.4 / 14.6 or later
Fixed in 7.511.414.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant security update for each affected Apple platform: iOS/iPadOS 14.6, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, macOS Big Sur 11.4, or Security Update 2021-004/005 for Catalina/Mojave.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, macOS Big Sur 11.4, Security Update 2021-004 Catalina, or Security Update 2021-005 Mojave (depending on device and current OS version)

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 14.6
  3. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install the available security update (macOS Big Sur 11.4, Security Update 2021-004 Catalina, or Security Update 2021-005 Mojave depending on your macOS version)
  4. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 14.6
  5. For Apple Watch: On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update and install watchOS 7.5
  6. After updating, verify the update was successfully installed by checking the version number in Settings/About
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply (ensure backups exist, verify app compatibility); this is a kernel privilege escalation vulnerability so applying the update is strongly recommended despite routine update risks

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2021-30703 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