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IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30940

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.15.7 / 11.6.2 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.1, iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2, Security Update 2021-008 Catalina. Processing a maliciously crafted USD file may disclose memory contents.

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

Buffer overflow in Apple's Universal Scene Description (USD) file processing code allows memory disclosure when processing a maliciously crafted USD file. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling during USD parsing.

MitigationApply vendor patches: macOS Monterey 12.1+, iOS 15.2+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2+, or Security Update 2021-008 for Catalina. Avoid opening untrusted USD files until patched.

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:< 15.2
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.2
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.15, < 10.15.7= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.6.2>= 12.0, < 12.1

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or view System Preferences > About. For macOS 10.15 (Catalina), check if version is below 10.15.7. For macOS 11.x (Big Sur), check if version is below 11.6.2. For macOS 12.x (Monterey), check if version is below 12.1.
    Affected if Version falls within any of these ranges: 10.15.x (any version), 11.0-11.6.1, or 12.0-12.0.
  2. Check iOS/iPadOS version
    On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > About to view the version number. Check if the version is below 15.2.
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is below 15.2.
  3. Identify USD file processing capability
    Check if applications that process Universal Scene Description (USD) files are in use. Look for USD-related software such as 3D modeling tools, scene composition applications, or any app that imports/exports USD, USDZ, or USDC file formats.
    Affected if USD file processing applications or libraries are installed and actively used on the system.
  4. Verify USD handler registration
    On macOS, run 'mdls' on a .usd, .usdc, or .usdz file to check if the system recognizes it. Also check /System/Library/Frameworks/UniversalSceneDescription framework existence.
    Affected if The system has registered handlers for USD file types or the UniversalSceneDescription framework is present.

The environment is affected if the operating system version matches any of the vulnerable ranges AND the system has the capability to process USD files, as the buffer overflow is triggered during USD file parsing.

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 10.15.7 / 11.6.2 / 12.1 or later
Fixed in 10.15.711.6.212.1
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches: macOS Monterey 12.1+, iOS 15.2+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2+, or Security Update 2021-008 for Catalina. Avoid opening untrusted USD files until patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.2 / iPadOS 15.2 / macOS Big Sur 11.6.2 / macOS Monterey 12.1 / Security Update 2021-008 Catalina

  1. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 15.2 or iPadOS 15.2 or later
  2. For macOS Big Sur (11.x): Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS Big Sur 11.6.2 or later
  3. For macOS Monterey (12.x): Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS 12.1 or later
  4. For macOS Catalina (10.15.7): Install Security Update 2021-008 Catalina via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. Verify the update was successful by checking the OS version in Settings/About

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2021-30940 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