dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30704

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 logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in tvOS 14.6, Security Update 2021-004 Mojave, iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6, Security Update 2021-003 Catalina, 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 · moderate confidence

A logic flaw in state management within Apple kernel components allows a malicious user-space application to escalate privileges to kernel level, enabling arbitrary code execution with the highest system privileges. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting multiple Apple operating systems.

MitigationApply the relevant security updates: iOS 14.6/iPadOS 14.6, macOS Big Sur 11.4/Security Update 2021-003/2021-004, watchOS 7.5, and tvOS 14.6. Prioritize systems running untrusted applications or exposed to untrusted code.

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 macOS version on Mac computers
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or open System Preferences > About on macOS Big Sur or later
    Affected if The version is 11.0 to 11.3.x, or 10.14.x (10.14 to 10.14.5 or 10.14.6), or 10.15.x (10.15 to 10.15.6 or 10.15.7)
  2. Check iOS version on iPhones
    Open Settings > General > About on the iOS device
    Affected if The iOS version is earlier than 14.6
  3. Check iPadOS version on iPads
    Open Settings > General > About on the iPadOS device
    Affected if The iPadOS version is earlier than 14.6
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Open Settings > General > About on the Apple TV
    Affected if The tvOS version is earlier than 14.6
  5. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About
    Affected if The watchOS version is earlier than 7.5
  6. Assess attack surface for local privilege escalation
    Determine if the system runs untrusted third-party applications or permits execution of code from unknown sources
    Affected if The system runs code from untrusted sources and the OS version falls within the affected ranges above

You are affected if your Apple device runs an OS version earlier than the fixed releases (iOS/iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4/Security Update 2021-003/2021-004, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5) and permits execution of potentially malicious user-space applications.

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 updates: iOS 14.6/iPadOS 14.6, macOS Big Sur 11.4/Security Update 2021-003/2021-004, watchOS 7.5, and tvOS 14.6. Prioritize systems running untrusted applications or exposed to untrusted code.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, macOS Big Sur 11.4, Security Update 2021-003 Catalina, or Security Update 2021-004 Mojave (depending on device)

  1. Identify the affected device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Determine the current installed version via Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Preferences > Software Update (macOS)
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 14.6
  4. For Mac: Open System Preferences > Software Update and install the appropriate update: macOS Big Sur 11.4, Security Update 2021-003 Catalina, or Security Update 2021-004 Mojave
  5. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 14.6
  6. For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 7.5
  7. Restart the device after the update completes
Caveat Point release upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; however, some legacy applications may have compatibility issues with the new OS version

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2021-30704 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