dbcve.org
Iphone OsOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30768

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.6 / 11.5 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 validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.7, macOS Big Sur 11.5, watchOS 7.6, tvOS 14.7, Security Update 2021-004 Catalina. A sandboxed process may be able to circumvent sandbox restrictions.

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 · moderate confidence

A logic validation flaw in Apple operating systems (iOS 14.7, macOS Big Sur 11.5, watchOS 7.6, tvOS 14.7, macOS Catalina) allowed a sandboxed process to bypass sandbox restrictions and access resources outside its intended permission boundaries.

MitigationApply the appropriate Apple security update for the affected product: iOS 14.7, macOS Big Sur 11.5, watchOS 7.6, tvOS 14.7, or Security Update 2021-004 for macOS 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
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.7
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.15, <= 10.15.6= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 11.5
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 14.7
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 7.6

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. Identify your Apple operating system product
    Determine whether the system is running iOS, macOS (Catalina or Big Sur), tvOS, or watchOS. On macOS, check System Preferences > About or run 'sw_vers'. On iOS, go to Settings > General > About. On tvOS/watchOS, check Settings > General > About.
    Affected if The product is any of: iOS, macOS (Catalina or Big Sur), tvOS, or watchOS
  2. Check the installed iOS version
    On iOS device: Settings > General > About > Version. Compare the version number to the affected range: versions less than 14.7 are vulnerable.
    Affected if iOS version is less than 14.7 (for example, 14.6, 14.5, etc.)
  3. Check the installed macOS version
    On macOS: System Preferences > About > Version (or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal). Compare to affected ranges: macOS Big Sur versions less than 11.5; macOS Catalina versions 10.15 through 10.15.7.
    Affected if macOS Big Sur is below 11.5, OR macOS Catalina is 10.15.x (including 10.15.7)
  4. Check the installed tvOS version
    On Apple TV: Settings > General > About > Version. Compare to affected range: versions less than 14.7.
    Affected if tvOS version is less than 14.7
  5. Check the installed watchOS version
    On Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone > General > About > Version. Compare to affected range: versions less than 7.6.
    Affected if watchOS version is less than 7.6
  6. Confirm sandboxed application execution context
    This vulnerability can be exploited by any sandboxed application. Verify if third-party or untrusted applications are run on the system. There is no specific configuration file to inspect; the vulnerability exists in the sandbox logic of unpatched OS versions.
    Affected if Running any third-party application in the sandbox on an unpatched OS version

You are affected if your device runs iOS < 14.7, macOS Big Sur < 11.5, macOS Catalina 10.15.x, tvOS < 14.7, or watchOS < 7.6.

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 7.6 / 11.5 / 14.7 or later
Fixed in 7.611.514.7
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate Apple security update for the affected product: iOS 14.7, macOS Big Sur 11.5, watchOS 7.6, tvOS 14.7, or Security Update 2021-004 for macOS Catalina.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.7 / macOS Big Sur 11.5 / watchOS 7.6 / tvOS 14.7 / Security Update 2021-004 Catalina

  1. 1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV) that needs patching
  2. 2. Check the current operating system version on the device (Settings > General > About on iOS; System Preferences > Software Update on macOS)
  3. 3. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS 14.7 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
  4. 4. For Mac running macOS Big Sur: Upgrade to macOS 11.5 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. 5. For Mac running macOS Catalina (10.15.6 or 10.15.7): Apply Security Update 2021-004 Catalina via System Preferences > Software Update
  6. 6. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 7.6 or later via the Watch app on iPhone > General > Software Update
  7. 7. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 14.7 or later via Settings > System > Software Update
  8. 8. Verify the update was successfully installed by checking the OS version again
Caveat Standard Apple OS update considerations apply - back up data before updating; some older apps may be incompatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Iphone Os 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-2021-30768 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