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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 17 Nov 2021.
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30869

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.2 / 12.5.5 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild 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
A type confusion issue was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 12.5.5, iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4, macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001 Catalina, Security Update 2021-001 Mojave, Security Update 2021-006 Catalina. A malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple is aware of reports that an exploit for this issue exists in the wild.

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

A type confusion vulnerability in Apple's kernel allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. The issue stems from improper state handling during object type management, which can be exploited to bypass type safety checks and achieve code execution in the privileged kernel context. This vulnerability affects iOS, iPadOS, and macOS across multiple version ranges.

MitigationApply the available security updates for affected products: iOS 12.5.5, iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4, macOS Big Sur 11.2, and the specified Security Updates for Catalina and Mojave. Given active exploitation in the wild, prioritize patching mobile devices and exposed systems immediately.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 14.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0, < 12.5.5>= 14.0, < 14.4
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.14, <= 10.14.6>= 10.15, <= 10.15.6= 10.14.6= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.2

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the device type and operating system
    On iOS/iPadOS, go to Settings > General > About > Version. On macOS, click Apple menu > About This Mac > macOS Version.
    Affected if The device runs iOS, iPadOS, or macOS but the specific version is not yet determined
  2. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Note the version number shown (for example, 14.3.1 or 12.5.4). Compare it to the affected ranges: iOS/iPadOS < 14.4, or >= 12.0 but < 12.5.5, or >= 14.0 but < 14.4.
    Affected if The installed iOS or iPadOS version falls within any of these ranges: < 14.4, >= 12.0 and < 12.5.5, or >= 14.0 and < 14.4
  3. Check macOS version
    Note the version number shown in About This Mac (for example, 10.15.7 or 11.1). Compare it to the affected ranges: macOS versions 10.14.x up to 10.14.6, 10.15.x up to 10.15.7, or >= 11.0 but < 11.2.
    Affected if The installed macOS version is 10.14.6, 10.15.7, any 10.14.x up to 10.14.6, any 10.15.x up to 10.15.6, or >= 11.0 but < 11.2

The device is affected if it runs any iOS/iPadOS version < 14.4 (or >= 12.0 but < 12.5.5) or any macOS version 10.14.x/10.15.x up to the listed patches or macOS 11.0-11.1.

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 11.2 / 12.5.5 / 14.4 or later
Fixed in 11.212.5.514.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates for affected products: iOS 12.5.5, iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4, macOS Big Sur 11.2, and the specified Security Updates for Catalina and Mojave. Given active exploitation in the wild, prioritize patching mobile devices and exposed systems immediately.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 12.5.5, iOS 14.4, iPadOS 14.4, macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001/2021-006 for older macOS

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 12.5.5 (if on iOS 12.x) or iOS 14.4/iPadOS 14.4 (if on iOS/iPadOS 14.x)
  2. For macOS: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.2, or apply Security Update 2021-001/2021-006 for macOS Catalina/Mojave via the App Store Updates section
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - ensure backups exist before updating; some legacy applications may not function on newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,580
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,128.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-30869 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