dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30928

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.0 / 11.6 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 input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.6, watchOS 8, tvOS 15, iOS 14.8 and iPadOS 14.8, iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution.

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 memory corruption vulnerability in Apple operating systems allows arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted image. The issue stems from insufficient input validation during image parsing, which can be exploited to corrupt memory and gain code execution privileges.

MitigationApply the security updates: macOS Big Sur 11.6+, watchOS 8+, tvOS 15+, iOS/iPadOS 14.8+, or iOS/iPadOS 15+ to all affected devices.

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:< 14.8
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.0
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.6
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 15.0
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 8.0
IcloudApplication
Affected:= 13.0

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
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 macOS version
    Open System Preferences > About or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal to get the macOS version number
    Affected if Version is 11.0 through 11.5 (versions 11.6 and later are patched)
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPhone to see the iOS version
    Affected if Version is below 14.8 or below 15.0 (both 14.8 and 15.0 contain the fix)
  3. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPad to see the iPadOS version
    Affected if Version is below 14.8 (14.8 and later contain the fix)
  4. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > About, or check on the Watch in Settings > General > About
    Affected if Version is below 8.0 (version 8.0 and later contain the fix)
  5. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About on Apple TV to see the tvOS version
    Affected if Version is below 15.0 (version 15.0 and later contain the fix)
  6. Check iCloud for Windows version
    Open iCloud for Windows, click the menu icon, and check About iCloud, or check the installed programs list in Windows Control Panel
    Affected if Version is exactly 13.0 (this specific version is affected)

The environment is affected if any Apple operating system (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) or iCloud for Windows is installed at a version below the fixed releases: macOS 11.6+, iOS/iPadOS 14.8+ or 15+, tvOS 15+, watchOS 8+, or iCloud for Windows (the specific version 13.0 is affected).

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 / 11.6 / 14.8 or later
Fixed in 8.011.614.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the security updates: macOS Big Sur 11.6+, watchOS 8+, tvOS 15+, iOS/iPadOS 14.8+, or iOS/iPadOS 15+ to all affected devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Big Sur 11.6+ | iOS 14.8+ / 15+ | iPadOS 14.8+ / 15+ | watchOS 8+ | tvOS 15+ | iCloud latest version

  1. For macOS: Open System Preferences > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.6 or later, or download the update from Apple Support
  2. For iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 14.8 or iOS/iPadOS 15 and later
  3. For watchOS: On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and upgrade to watchOS 8 or later
  4. For tvOS: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and upgrade to tvOS 15 or later
  5. For iCloud for Windows: Ensure iCloud is updated to the latest version through the Apple Software Update utility
Caveat Standard OS upgrade considerations apply - verify app compatibility with newer macOS/iOS versions before upgrading; 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 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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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-2021-30928 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