CVE-2021-30864
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 logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.0.1. A sandboxed process may be able to circumvent sandbox restrictions.
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 logic error in macOS's sandboxing implementation allowed a sandboxed process to bypass sandbox restrictions and potentially access unauthorized resources. The vulnerability was addressed through improved state management in macOS Monterey 12.0.1.
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< 11.6= 12.0.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/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.
-
Check installed macOS versionOpen System Preferences > About, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal, or run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType'Affected if Version is below 11.6 or version is exactly 12.0.0
-
Confirm macOS build numberRun 'sw_vers -buildVersion' in Terminal to get the exact build (optional for fuller identification)Affected if Build corresponds to an affected macOS release (< 11.6 or 12.0.0)
-
Identify if sandboxed applications are in useCheck for any third-party or built-in apps running with sandbox entitlements by examining /Applications folder or using 'ps' commandAffected if Sandbox is enabled and the system runs any sandboxed applications (the bypass only affects sandboxed processes)
System is affected if it runs macOS versions below 11.6 or exactly 12.0.0, since the sandbox bypass only applies to these specific versions.
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
Update affected macOS systems to Monterey 12.0.1 or later to remediate the sandbox bypass vulnerability. For systems unable to update, consider restricting privileges or isolating them from sensitive resources.
macOS Monterey 12.0.1 (or later)
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method
- Go to System Preferences (on macOS Monterey) or System Settings (on macOS Ventura and later)
- Click on 'Software Update' or navigate to General > Software Update
- Allow macOS to check for updates
- If macOS Monterey 12.0.1 or later is available, click 'Update Now' to download and install the update
- Alternatively, download macOS Monterey from the Mac App Store and run the installer manually
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
- After upgrading, verify the update by going to Apple menu > About This Mac and confirming the version is 12.0.1 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30864 — 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-2021-30864 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