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SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2021-30836

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.0 / 12.0.1 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
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 14.8 and iPadOS 14.8, tvOS 15, watchOS 8, iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may disclose restricted memory.

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 confidence

This is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Apple's audio file processing component. When the system processes a maliciously crafted audio file, it can read beyond allocated memory boundaries, potentially exposing restricted memory contents to an attacker.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 14.8 or later, iPadOS 14.8 or later, tvOS 15 or later, watchOS 8 or later, or iOS 15/iPadOS 15 or later.

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
SafariWeb browser
Affected:< 15.0.0
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 14.8
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.8
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 12.0.1
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 15.0
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 8.0

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. Identify the Apple product running in your environment
    Determine which Apple operating system or browser is in use: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, or Safari. On macOS, check System Preferences > About. On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About. On tvOS/watchOS, check Settings > General > About.
    Affected if The product is one of: Safari, iPadOS, iPhone OS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS
  2. Check the installed version number
    Locate the version number in the About screen as described above. For Safari, open Safari and go to Safari > About Safari.
    Affected if The version is lower than the affected range for your product (Safari < 15.0.0, iPadOS/iPhone OS < 14.8, macOS < 12.0.1, tvOS < 15.0, watchOS < 8.0)
  3. Confirm the audio processing component is accessible
    Verify that applications capable of processing audio files are installed and could process a malicious file. This includes any app that uses Apple's Core Audio, AVAudioPlayer, or AudioToolbox frameworks.
    Affected if The vulnerable audio file processing component is present and can process audio files through any application on the system

Your environment is affected if the Apple product version is lower than 15.0.0 for Safari, 14.8 for iOS/iPadOS, 12.0.1 for macOS, 15.0 for tvOS, or 8.0 for watchOS, and audio file processing functionality is available.

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 8.0 / 12.0.1 / 14.8 or later
Fixed in 8.012.0.114.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security updates: iOS 14.8 or later, iPadOS 14.8 or later, tvOS 15 or later, watchOS 8 or later, or iOS 15/iPadOS 15 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.8/iPadOS 14.8 (or iOS 15+/iPadOS 15+), macOS 12.0.1, Safari 15.0.0, tvOS 15, watchOS 8

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 14.8 or iOS 15+
  2. For macOS: Open System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS Monterey 12.0.1 or later
  3. For Safari: Update via macOS update (Safari 15.0.0 included with macOS Monterey 12.0.1)
  4. For tvOS: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 15
  5. For watchOS: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 8
  6. After updating, verify the fix by checking Settings > General > About for the correct version numbers
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply (review release notes for compatibility concerns with third-party apps)

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

Fix this in Safari 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-2021-30836 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