dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30708

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.4 / 14.6 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.4, Security Update 2021-003 Catalina, Security Update 2021-004 Mojave, iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6. Processing a maliciously crafted USD file may lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Apple's handling of USD (Universal Scene Description) files in macOS and iOS. The vulnerability is triggered when processing a maliciously crafted USD file, which can cause unexpected application termination or potentially lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple addressed this with improved input validation in the specified updates.

MitigationApply the available Apple security updates (macOS Big Sur 11.4 or later, Security Update 2021-003/2021-004 for older macOS, iOS/iPadOS 14.6 or later) to all affected systems.

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

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 the system
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or check System Preferences > About to obtain the macOS version number
    Affected if The version is 10.14.x (through 10.14.5), 10.15.x (through 10.15.6), or 11.0-11.3 (versions below 10.14.6, 10.15.7, or 11.4)
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version on the device
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iOS/iPadOS device to view the version
    Affected if The version is any release earlier than 14.6 (including 14.0 through 14.5)
  3. Identify if USD file processing capability exists
    Search for applications that handle .usd or .usdz files (such as Preview, Quick Look, or 3D rendering tools) using Spotlight or checking the /Applications folder
    Affected if Any native macOS/iOS application capable of opening USD or USDZ files is present on the system (this is a built-in feature in affected macOS and iOS versions)
  4. Verify Quick Look USDZ preview availability (macOS)
    Create a test .usdz file or locate one, then press Space in Finder to invoke Quick Look and attempt to preview it
    Affected if Quick Look successfully renders the USDZ file, confirming the vulnerable handler is present and active

The environment is affected if the device runs macOS 10.14.5 or earlier, 10.15.6 or earlier, 11.0-11.3, or any iOS/iPadOS version below 14.6, AND the system has the native capability to process USD/USDZ files which is present by default in these affected OS versions.

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 11.4 / 14.6 or later
Fixed in 11.414.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the available Apple security updates (macOS Big Sur 11.4 or later, Security Update 2021-003/2021-004 for older macOS, iOS/iPadOS 14.6 or later) to all affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS/iPadOS 14.6; macOS Big Sur 11.4; macOS Catalina Security Update 2021-003; macOS Mojave Security Update 2021-004

  1. For iOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 14.6
  2. For iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iPadOS 14.6
  3. For macOS Big Sur (11.x) users: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and upgrade to macOS 11.4
  4. For macOS Catalina (10.15) users: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install Security Update 2021-003 Catalina
  5. For macOS Mojave (10.14) users: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install Security Update 2021-004 Mojave
Caveat Standard upgrade risks - ensure backups before updating; some older apps may not be compatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2021-30708 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