dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30746

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.4 / 14.6 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
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 disclose memory contents.

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 vulnerability in Apple's USD (Universal Scene Description) file processing component allows an out-of-bounds read when parsing a maliciously crafted USD file. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation, enabling an attacker to read adjacent memory contents beyond allocated buffers.

MitigationApply the relevant Apple security updates (macOS Big Sur 11.4, Security Update 2021-003/2021-004, iOS/iPadOS 14.6) to all affected devices. Avoid opening untrusted USD files from unknown sources.

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:= 10.14.0= 10.14.1= 10.14.2= 10.14.3= 10.14.4= 10.14.5= 10.14.6= 10.15= 10.15.1= 10.15.2= 10.15.3= 10.15.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0.1, < 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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 version on the system
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This Mac to view the macOS version number
    Affected if The version shown is 10.14.0 through 10.15.4, or 11.0.1 through 11.3.x (anything below 11.4)
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iOS device and note the version number
    Affected if The version shown is anything below 14.6 (for example, 14.5, 14.4, etc.)
  3. Identify if USD file processing is in use
    Check if any applications on the system open or handle .usd, .usda, .usdc, or .usdz files. Common apps include Finder Quick Look, Xcode, or third-party 3D tools
    Affected if The system can open or preview USD files and the OS version is in the affected range listed above
  4. Verify Quick Look preview capability (macOS)
    Select any .usd/.usdz file in Finder and press Space to trigger Quick Look preview
    Affected if Quick Look successfully renders the file and the macOS version is vulnerable
  5. Check for Security Update installations (macOS)
    Run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' in Terminal and look at the macOS build version, or check System Preferences > Software Update for installed updates
    Affected if The system shows no security updates installed after the fix dates and the base OS version remains vulnerable

A user is affected if their device runs iOS/iPadOS below 14.6 or macOS between 10.14.0-10.15.4 or 11.0.1-11.3.x, and they open or preview maliciously crafted USD files.

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 relevant Apple security updates (macOS Big Sur 11.4, Security Update 2021-003/2021-004, iOS/iPadOS 14.6) to all affected devices. Avoid opening untrusted USD files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. For iOS/iPadOS devices: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 14.6
  2. For macOS Big Sur (11.x): Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS Big Sur 11.4
  3. For macOS Catalina (10.15): Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install Security Update 2021-003 Catalina
  4. For macOS Mojave (10.14): Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install Security Update 2021-004 Mojave

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-2021-30746 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