dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30743

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.4 / 11.3 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 write was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, Security Update 2021-003 Catalina, tvOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3. Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to 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

This is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Apple's image processing components. The vulnerability is triggered when processing a maliciously crafted image file, allowing an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution. The issue was addressed through improved input validation in the affected products.

MitigationApply the available security updates for affected Apple products: iOS 14.5 and later, iPadOS 14.5 and later, watchOS 7.4 and later, macOS Big Sur 11.3 and later, tvOS 14.5 and later, or Security Update 2021-003 for Catalina.

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:< 14.5
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.5
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:= 10.15= 10.15.1= 10.15.2= 10.15.3= 10.15.4= 10.15.5= 10.15.6= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0.1, < 11.3
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 14.5
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 7.4

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. Identify your Apple device type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV. This matters because the version numbering differs across product lines.
    Affected if The device runs any of the affected Apple operating systems.
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number. Alternatively, use the Finder or iTunes on a connected Mac to view the iOS version.
    Affected if The version is below 14.5 (for example, 14.4, 14.3, 13.x, etc.).
  3. Check macOS version
    On Mac, click the Apple menu > About This Mac, or run the command 'sw_vers' in Terminal. Note the macOS version number (such as 11.0.1, 11.2, 10.15.7).
    Affected if The version is 10.15.x (Catalina, any of 10.15 through 10.15.7) OR between 11.0.1 and 11.2.x (anything below 11.3).
  4. Check watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, open the Settings app > General > About and check the Version. Or open the Watch app on a paired iPhone and go to My Watch > General > About.
    Affected if The version is below 7.4 (for example, 7.3, 7.2, 6.x, etc.).
  5. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number. Or check in the Home screen by long-pressing the TV button > About.
    Affected if The version is below 14.5 (for example, 14.4, 14.3, 13.x, etc.).

You are affected if your device runs any iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, or tvOS version that falls within the specific ranges listed: iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS below 14.5, macOS Catalina 10.15.x, or macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 through 11.2.x.

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 7.4 / 11.3 / 14.5 or later
Fixed in 7.411.314.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates for affected Apple products: iOS 14.5 and later, iPadOS 14.5 and later, watchOS 7.4 and later, macOS Big Sur 11.3 and later, tvOS 14.5 and later, or Security Update 2021-003 for Catalina.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.5 / iPadOS 14.5 / watchOS 7.4 / tvOS 14.5 / macOS Big Sur 11.3 / Security Update 2021-003 for Catalina

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV)
  2. Check the current installed version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Preferences > Software Update (macOS)
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 via Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For Mac: If running macOS Catalina (10.15.x), install Security Update 2021-003 via System Preferences > Software Update; if running macOS Big Sur (11.0.1-11.2.x), upgrade to macOS 11.3
  5. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 7.4 via the Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > General > Software Update
  6. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 14.5 via Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software
Caveat Standard update risks apply; ensure backup before upgrading; some older apps may become incompatible with iOS 14.5

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-2021-30743 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