CVE-2021-30874
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 · uneditedAn authorization issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. A VPN configuration may be installed by an app without user permission.
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 confidenceIn iOS/iPadOS before version 15, an authorization bypass existed where applications could install VPN configurations without requiring user permission. This allowed malicious apps to redirect network traffic through attacker-controlled VPN servers without user consent, potentially enabling man-in-the-middle attacks and traffic interception.
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< 12.0.1CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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.
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Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone or iPadOpen Settings app, tap General, tap About, and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'Affected if The version shown is less than 15.0 (for example, 14.7.1, 14.6, etc.)
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Check macOS version on Mac computerClick the Apple menu in the top-left corner, select About This Mac, and note the macOS version number shownAffected if The version shown is less than 12.0.1 (for example, 11.6, 10.15, etc.)
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Compare installed version against affected rangesReview the version number identified in step 1 or 2 and compare it to the known vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS < 15.0 or macOS < 12.0.1Affected if The installed version falls within the vulnerable ranges (iOS/iPadOS below 15.0 or macOS below 12.0.1)
A device is affected if it is running iOS or iPadOS version lower than 15.0, or macOS version lower than 12.0.1, as these versions allowed VPN configurations to be installed without user permission.
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 · scoped12.0.115.0
Update affected iOS/iPadOS devices to version 15 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Organizations should use MDM/EMM solutions to enforce and verify OS updates across device fleets.
iOS 15+, iPadOS 15+, macOS 12.0.1+ (Monterey)
- Check current iOS/iPadOS version by going to Settings > General > About
- Check current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
- For iOS/iPadOS: Back up your device using iCloud or Finder/iTunes
- For iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 or later
- For macOS: Back up your Mac using Time Machine
- For macOS: Open System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS 12.0.1 (Monterey) or later
- Verify the update was successful by checking Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or Apple menu > About This Mac (macOS)
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-2021-30874 — 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-2021-30874 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