CVE-2021-30741
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 · uneditedA use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6. Processing a maliciously crafted mail message may lead to unexpected memory modification or application termination.
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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in the iOS/iPadOS Mail application allows processing of a maliciously crafted email message to trigger improper memory management. This can lead to unexpected memory modification or application termination due to the application accessing memory after it has been freed.
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< 14.6< 14.6CVSS 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
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the installed iOS or iPadOS versionGo to Settings > General > About on the device and locate the Version fieldAffected if The version number is less than 14.6 (for example, 14.5.x, 14.4.x, or earlier)
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Confirm the device is an Apple iPhone or iPadVerify the device model in Settings > General > About under Model NameAffected if The device is an iPhone or iPad running an affected iOS or iPadOS version below 14.6
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Determine if the Mail application is enabledGo to Settings > Mail and confirm the app is accessible and not disabled via Screen Time restrictionsAffected if Mail is enabled on a device running iOS or iPadOS versions prior to 14.6
The device is affected if it is an iPhone or iPad running iOS or iPadOS version 14.5.x or earlier with the Mail application enabled.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped14.6
Upgrade affected devices to iOS 14.6 or later/iPadOS 14.6 or later. This is a client-side vulnerability that requires no network-side mitigation.
iOS 14.6 / iPadOS 14.6
- Back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud or your computer before upgrading
- Connect your device to Wi-Fi and ensure it is charging
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the device
- Tap 'Download and Install' when iOS 14.6 or iPadOS 14.6 is shown as available
- Enter your passcode if prompted and agree to the terms
- Wait for the download to complete, then tap 'Install'
- Allow the device to restart and complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30741 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-30741 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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