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Ipad OsOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30909

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1 / 10.15.7 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1, macOS Monterey 12.0.1, iOS 14.8.1 and iPadOS 14.8.1, tvOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1, Security Update 2021-007 Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.1. An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

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 confidence

A memory corruption vulnerability in Apple's kernel allows a malicious application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level access. This is a local privilege escalation issue affecting multiple Apple operating systems, requiring the attacker to first run code on the target device.

MitigationApply the available security updates (iOS 15.1/14.8.1, macOS Monterey 12.0.1/Big Sur 11.6.1/Catalina Security Update 2021-007, tvOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1) to patched versions.

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
Ipad OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.8.1
IpadosOperating system
Affected:= 15.0
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 14.8.1= 15.0
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:< 10.15.7= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.6.1= 12.0
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 15.1
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 8.1

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. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and note the Version number, or run 'sw_vers -productVersion' via terminal if you have remote access
    Affected if The version is less than 14.8.1, or exactly 15.0
  2. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or click Apple menu > About This Mac
    Affected if The version is 10.15.7 (any build), or 11.x before 11.6.1, or exactly 12.0
  3. Check tvOS version
    On Apple TV, go to Settings > General > About and note the version number
    Affected if The version is less than 15.1
  4. Check watchOS version
    On Apple Watch, open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About and note the version
    Affected if The version is less than 8.1
  5. Confirm kernel-level code execution capability
    This is a local privilege escalation requiring pre-existing code execution. Verify whether untrusted third-party applications can run on the device (not applicable to standard user scenarios)
    Affected if A malicious application with code execution capability is already running on the affected OS version

The device is affected if it runs any iOS/iPadOS < 14.8.1 or = 15.0, macOS 10.15.7, macOS 11.x < 11.6.1 or = 12.0, tvOS < 15.1, or watchOS < 8.1, and a malicious application already has code execution on it.

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 8.1 / 10.15.7 / 11.6.1 or later
Fixed in 8.110.15.711.6.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates (iOS 15.1/14.8.1, macOS Monterey 12.0.1/Big Sur 11.6.1/Catalina Security Update 2021-007, tvOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1) to patched versions.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 14.8.1/iPadOS 14.8.1 or iOS 15.1/iPadOS 15.1; macOS Security Update 2021-007 (Catalina), macOS Big Sur 11.6.1+, macOS Monterey 12.0.1+; tvOS 15.1+; watchOS 8.1+

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS 14.8.1 or iPadOS 14.8.1 (or iOS 15.1/iPadOS 15.1 if available for your device) via Settings > General > Software Update
  2. For macOS Catalina (10.15.7): Install Security Update 2021-007 via System Preferences > Software Update
  3. For macOS Big Sur (11.x): Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  4. For macOS Monterey (12.0): Upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.0.1 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. For tvOS: Upgrade to tvOS 15.1 or later via Settings > System > Software Updates
  6. For watchOS: Upgrade to watchOS 8.1 or later via the Watch app on iPhone
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - review release notes for compatibility; backup data before updating

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

Fix this in Ipad Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2021-30909 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