CVE-2021-30790
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 · uneditedAn information disclosure issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.5, Security Update 2021-004 Catalina, Security Update 2021-005 Mojave. Opening a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.
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 confidenceThis macOS vulnerability involves an information disclosure issue that was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. The vulnerability could be triggered by opening a maliciously crafted file, potentially leading to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. It affected macOS Big Sur 11.4 and earlier, as well as Catalina and 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>= 10.14, <= 10.14.5>= 10.15, <= 10.15.6= 10.14.6= 10.15.7>= 11.0, < 11.5CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to determine the running macOS versionAffected if Version is 10.14.6 or earlier, 10.15.7 or earlier, or 11.4 or earlier (versions below 10.14.6, 10.15.7, or 11.5)
-
Confirm macOS update statusCheck if the system has received security updates by reviewing the installed security updates via 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' or checking System Preferences > Software UpdateAffected if The system shows no security update installed for CVE-2021-30790 (missing Security Update 2021-004/2021-005 or macOS 11.5)
You are affected if your macOS version falls within the vulnerable ranges (Mojave 10.14.6 or earlier, Catalina 10.15.7 or earlier, Big Sur 11.4 or earlier) and the corresponding security update has not been applied.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped11.5
Apply the appropriate 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. Avoid opening files from untrusted sources.
macOS Big Sur 11.5 or later (for Big Sur users); Security Update 2021-004 for Catalina; Security Update 2021-005 for Mojave
- Check current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
- For macOS Big Sur (11.x): Update to macOS 11.5 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
- For macOS Catalina (10.15): Apply Security Update 2021-004 via System Preferences > Software Update
- For macOS Mojave (10.14): Apply Security Update 2021-005 via System Preferences > Software Update
- After update, restart the system as prompted
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30790 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-30790 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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