dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30727

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.5 / 11.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.4, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6. A malicious application may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.

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 logic error in macOS Big Sur, tvOS, watchOS, iOS, and iPadOS allowed a malicious local application to bypass file system protections and modify restricted areas. The vulnerability stemmed from improper state management that should have enforced sandboxing or entitlement restrictions.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: macOS Big Sur 11.4, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, iOS 14.6, or iPadOS 14.6 and later. For systems that cannot be updated, restrict application execution policies and monitor for suspicious file system access.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0.1, < 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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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 Big Sur version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal. Compare the output to the affected range: >= 11.0.1 and < 11.4
    Affected if Version is 11.0.1, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, or 11.3.x (any version from 11.0.1 through 11.3.x)
  2. Check iOS/iPadOS version on mobile devices
    Go to Settings > General > About on the device. Note the Version number.
    Affected if Version is 14.5 or earlier (any version below 14.6)
  3. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > System > About > Version on Apple TV.
    Affected if Version is 14.5 or earlier (any version below 14.6)
  4. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, and check the watchOS version.
    Affected if Version is 7.4 or earlier (any version below 7.5)
  5. Confirm application sandbox status
    Review installed applications for any that have suspicious or excessive file system permissions. Use 'ls -la /Applications' to list installed apps and audit their origins.
    Affected if Untrusted or unsigned applications with broad file system access are present on the device

The environment is affected if the device runs any macOS version 11.0.1 through 11.3.x, iOS/iPadOS 14.5 or earlier, tvOS 14.5 or earlier, or watchOS 7.4 or earlier.

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 vendor-supplied updates: macOS Big Sur 11.4, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5, iOS 14.6, or iPadOS 14.6 and later. For systems that cannot be updated, restrict application execution policies and monitor for suspicious file system access.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS Big Sur 11.4, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update, then download and install iOS 14.6 or iPadOS 14.6
  2. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update, then download and install macOS Big Sur 11.4
  3. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates, then download and install tvOS 14.6
  4. For Apple Watch: On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > General > Software Update, then install watchOS 7.5
Caveat Major OS updates may deprecate older applications or features; review app compatibility before upgrading

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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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-30727 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