CVE-2021-30828
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2021-005 Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6. A local user may be able to read arbitrary files as root.
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 confidenceA local privilege escalation vulnerability in macOS Catalina and Big Sur 11.6 allows an unprivileged local user to read arbitrary files with root privileges due to insufficient access control checks.
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>= 10.15, <= 10.15.6= 10.15.7>= 11.0, < 11.6CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in TerminalAffected if The version is 10.15, 10.15.6, 10.15.7, or between 11.0 and 11.5 (inclusive)
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Confirm the system is not patchedCheck if Apple Security Update 2021-005 (for 10.15.x) or macOS 11.6 update has been installed by reviewing the last security update in System Preferences > Software UpdateAffected if The system shows no security update from 2021-005 for Catalina or is running a Big Sur version earlier than 11.6
A user is affected if their macOS version is 10.15, 10.15.6, 10.15.7, or any version from 11.0 to 11.5, and the corresponding security patch 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 · scoped11.6
Apply Apple Security Update 2021-005 for macOS Catalina or the macOS Big Sur 11.6 update to patch the vulnerability.
Security Update 2021-005 Catalina or macOS Big Sur 11.6 (depending on major version)
- Back up your Mac before applying any system updates
- For macOS Catalina (10.15.x): Install Security Update 2021-005 Catalina via System Preferences > Software Update
- For macOS Big Sur (11.0-11.5): Update to macOS Big Sur 11.6 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
- After updating, verify the installation was successful by checking System Preferences > Software Update confirms no remaining updates
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30828 — 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-2021-30828 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data