CVE-2021-30983
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 · uneditedA buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2. 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 confidenceThis is a kernel-level privilege escalation vulnerability in iOS/iPadOS caused by a buffer overflow. A malicious local application can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary code with kernel (highest) privileges, granting full control over the device.
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< 15.2< 15.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS version on iPhoneOpen Settings app, tap General, tap About, and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'Affected if The version number is lower than 15.2 (for example, 15.1, 15.0, 14.x, etc.)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadOpen Settings app, tap General, tap About, and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'Affected if The version number is lower than 15.2 (for example, 15.1, 15.0, 14.x, etc.)
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Verify device model and OS typeConfirm whether the device is an iPhone (running iOS) or iPad (running iPadOS) in Settings > General > About > Model NameAffected if The device runs iOS or iPadOS and the version is below 15.2
A device is affected if it is an iPhone or iPad running any version of iOS or iPadOS earlier than 15.2, as the kernel buffer overflow exists in versions prior to the fix in 15.2.
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 · scoped15.2
Update affected iOS/iPadOS devices to version 15.2 or later. For enterprise environments, deploy the update via mobile device management (MDM) and verify compliance.
iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2
- Back up your iPhone or iPad data using iCloud or Finder/iTunes before proceeding
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update on your device
- Download and install iOS 15.2 or iPadOS 15.2 or later
- After installation, verify the version by navigating to Settings > General > About and confirm the version number is 15.2 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30983 — 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-2021-30983 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