dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30752

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
Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.3, iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5. An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.

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 read vulnerability in the image processing components of multiple Apple operating systems (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS). Processing a maliciously crafted image allows an attacker to read memory beyond allocated buffer boundaries, which can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability was patched with improved input validation.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches by upgrading to macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later, iOS/iPadOS 14.5 or later, watchOS 7.4 or later, or tvOS 14.5 or later. For systems that cannot be updated, implement network-level controls to block untrusted image files from being processed.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 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. Check macOS version on Mac computers
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or open System Preferences > About. Look for the version number (e.g., 11.2, 11.3, 11.4).
    Affected if Version is 11.0, 11.1, or 11.2 (any version >= 11.0 but < 11.3)
  2. Check iOS version on iPhones
    Open Settings > General > About on the device. Note the version number (e.g., 14.4, 14.5, 14.6).
    Affected if Version is 14.4 or earlier (any version < 14.5)
  3. Check iPadOS version on iPads
    Open Settings > General > About on the device. Note the version number.
    Affected if Version is 14.4 or earlier (any version < 14.5)
  4. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > General > About, or open Settings > General > on the watch itself. Note the version.
    Affected if Version is 7.3 or earlier (any version < 7.4)
  5. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Open Settings > General > About on Apple TV. Note the version number.
    Affected if Version is 14.4 or earlier (any version < 14.5)

If the installed OS version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges (macOS 11.0-11.2, iOS/iPadOS <14.5, watchOS <7.4, tvOS <14.5), the system is potentially affected when processing untrusted image 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 7.4 / 11.3 / 14.5 or later
Fixed in 7.411.314.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches by upgrading to macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later, iOS/iPadOS 14.5 or later, watchOS 7.4 or later, or tvOS 14.5 or later. For systems that cannot be updated, implement network-level controls to block untrusted image files from being processed.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV)
  2. For iPhone: Upgrade to iOS 14.5 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
  3. For iPad: Upgrade to iPadOS 14.5 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 7.4 or later via the Watch app on iPhone
  6. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 14.5 or later via Settings > System > Software Updates
  7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the OS version in Settings/About

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2021-30752 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