dbcve.org
Iphone OsOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30769

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.6 / 14.7 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 state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.7, tvOS 14.7, watchOS 7.6. A malicious attacker with arbitrary read and write capability may be able to bypass Pointer Authentication.

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 flaw in iOS, tvOS, and watchOS allows an attacker with existing arbitrary read/write capabilities to bypass Pointer Authentication (PAC), an ARM64 exploit mitigation that cryptographically signs pointers to prevent tampering. The vulnerability stems from improper state management in PAC validation logic.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates (iOS 14.7, tvOS 14.7, watchOS 7.6 or later) to all affected Apple devices. This vulnerability requires pre-existing code execution, so defense-in-depth controls remain important.

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
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 the Apple device type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, Apple TV, or Apple Watch. This matters because each device runs a different OS with different version numbering.
    Affected if Device is an iPhone, Apple TV, or Apple Watch
  2. Check the installed iOS version on iPhone
    On the iPhone, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'. This shows the iOS build installed.
    Affected if iOS version is below 14.7 (e.g., 14.6, 14.5, etc.)
  3. Check the installed tvOS version on Apple TV
    On the Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'. This shows the tvOS build installed.
    Affected if tvOS version is below 14.7
  4. Check the installed watchOS version on Apple Watch
    On the paired iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > About, and note the version shown for watchOS. Alternatively, on Apple Watch go to Settings > General > About.
    Affected if watchOS version is below 7.6
  5. Confirm the device has not been updated
    Compare the installed version against the fixed versions: iOS 14.7, tvOS 14.7, or watchOS 7.6. Versions lower than these are vulnerable.
    Affected if Device runs any version below the fixed releases and has not been patched

You are affected if the device is an iPhone, Apple TV, or Apple Watch running iOS/tvOS/watchOS versions lower than 14.7 (iOS/tvOS) or 7.6 (watchOS).

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 / 14.7 or later
Fixed in 7.614.7
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates (iOS 14.7, tvOS 14.7, watchOS 7.6 or later) to all affected Apple devices. This vulnerability requires pre-existing code execution, so defense-in-depth controls remain important.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.7, tvOS 14.7, watchOS 7.6

  1. Back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iCloud or Finder/iTunes before updating
  2. Connect your device to Wi-Fi and ensure it has at least 50% battery or is plugged into power
  3. On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and tap 'Download and Install'
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts to install iOS 14.7
  5. For Apple Watch: Update through the paired iPhone: Open the Watch app > Go to General > Software Update > download and install watchOS 7.6
  6. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates > Download and Install tvOS 14.7
  7. After updating, verify the version in Settings > General > About to confirm the correct version is installed
Caveat Standard upgrade considerations apply; some legacy apps may not be compatible with older devices

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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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-2021-30769 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