CVE-2021-30814
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 · uneditedA memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in tvOS 15, watchOS 8, iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to 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 · high confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability in Apple's image processing components (likely ImageIO) allows arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted image file. The issue was addressed through improved input validation in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15.
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< 15.0< 15.0< 12.0.1< 15.0< 8.0CVSS 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.
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Check iOS version on iPhone or iPadGo to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' field, or run 'idevicesyslog' or check via Finder when device is connectedAffected if Version is below 15.0 (e.g., 14.x)
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Check macOS versionClick Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in TerminalAffected if Version is below 12.0.1 (e.g., 11.x or 12.0)
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Check watchOS versionOpen the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, or check on Apple Watch via Settings > General > AboutAffected if Version is below 8.0 (e.g., 7.x)
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Check tvOS versionGo to Settings > General > About on Apple TV, or run 'tvutil --version' if availableAffected if Version is below 15.0 (e.g., 14.x)
If the installed OS version is below 15.0 for iOS/iPadOS/tvOS, below 8.0 for watchOS, or below 12.0.1 for macOS, the device is affected by this ImageIO memory corruption vulnerability.
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 · scoped8.012.0.115.0
Apply the relevant OS update (iOS/iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, tvOS 15 or later) to all affected devices to remediate this vulnerability.
iOS 15 / iPadOS 15 / tvOS 15 / watchOS 8 / macOS 12.0.1 (or later)
- Identify the affected device: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch
- Backup all important data before proceeding with the update
- For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 15/iPadOS 15 or later
- For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS 12.0.1 (Monterey) or later
- For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 15 or later
- For Apple Watch: On the iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 8 or later
- After updating, verify the device is running the fixed version in Settings/General/About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30814 — 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-2021-30814 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
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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
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