dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30782

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.15.6 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
This issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.5, Security Update 2021-004 Catalina, Security Update 2021-005 Mojave. A malicious application may be able to access restricted files.

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

This is a macOS vulnerability where a malicious application could bypass file access restrictions and access restricted files. The issue was addressed with improved checks in the affected macOS versions. This appears to be a local privilege/sandbox bypass issue allowing unauthorized file system access.

MitigationApply the appropriate Apple security update for the macOS version in use: macOS Big Sur 11.5, Security Update 2021-004 for Catalina, or Security Update 2021-005 for Mojave.

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
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.14, <= 10.14.5>= 10.15, <= 10.15.6= 10.14.6= 10.15.7

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. Determine the installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The reported version is 10.14.x (Mojave) or 10.15.x (Catalina)
  2. Identify the specific macOS release number
    Run: sw_vers -buildVersion to see the exact build, then cross-reference with Apple documentation to confirm the full version string
    Affected if The version is exactly 10.14, 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, 10.15.5, 10.15.6, or 10.15.7
  3. Confirm the macOS release name
    Run: system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType | grep 'System Version'
    Affected if The system reports macOS Mojave (any 10.14.x version) or macOS Catalina (any 10.15.x version)
  4. Check if security updates have been applied
    Run: system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType and look for Security Update entries, or check System Preferences > Software Update for recent update history
    Affected if No security updates (2021-004 for Catalina or 2021-005 for Mojave) have been installed on vulnerable versions

You are affected if your Mac is running any version of macOS Mojave (10.14.x) or Catalina (10.15.x) without the 2021 security updates installed, as these versions contain the vulnerability that allows sandboxed applications to bypass file access restrictions.

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 a release after 10.15.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate Apple security update for the macOS version in use: macOS Big Sur 11.5, Security Update 2021-004 for Catalina, or Security Update 2021-005 for Mojave.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Security Update 2021-005 (Mojave) or Security Update 2021-004 (Catalina)

  1. Check current macOS version via Apple menu > About This Mac
  2. For macOS Mojave 10.14.x: Apply Security Update 2021-005 Mojave via System Preferences > Software Update
  3. For macOS Catalina 10.15.x: Apply Security Update 2021-004 Catalina via System Preferences > Software Update
  4. Restart the system after applying the security update
  5. Verify the security update was installed by checking System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General

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

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2021-30782 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