dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-30990

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 logic issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.1, Security Update 2021-008 Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2. A malicious application may bypass Gatekeeper checks.

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

This is a logic validation flaw in macOS that allows a malicious application to bypass Gatekeeper checks. Gatekeeper is Apple's security feature that restricts which applications can run on macOS. The vulnerability enables untrusted or malicious applications to execute without the normal Gatekeeper warnings or blocks.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update (Monterey 12.1, Security Update 2021-008 for Catalina, or Big Sur 11.6.2) to affected systems. Verify Gatekeeper remains enabled and functioning after patching.

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
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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to get the exact version number (e.g., 10.15.7, 11.6.1, 12.0.2)
    Affected if Version is 10.15.x (any build), 11.0-11.6.1, or 12.0
  2. Compare version to CVE-affected ranges
    If running 10.15.x, all versions are affected. If running 11.x, check if build is before 11.6.2. If running 12.x, check if build is before 12.1
    Affected if The installed version falls within 10.15 (any), 11.0-11.6.1, or 12.0-12.0 (not 12.1 or later)
  3. Verify Gatekeeper is enabled
    Run 'spctl --status' in Terminal - output should show 'assessments enabled'
    Affected if Gatekeeper is enabled (assessments enabled) - the vulnerability bypasses an enabled Gatekeeper; if disabled, the bypass has no effect
  4. Confirm no security updates applied
    Check System Preferences > Software Update for installed updates, or review the Security Update version listed in System Preferences > Security & Privacy
    Affected if No corresponding security update has been installed (2021-008 for Catalina, 11.6.2 for Big Sur, or 12.1 for Monterey)

You are affected if your macOS version is 10.15.x, 11.0-11.6.1, or 12.0, Gatekeeper is enabled, and the appropriate security update has not been installed.

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 the appropriate macOS security update (Monterey 12.1, Security Update 2021-008 for Catalina, or Big Sur 11.6.2) to affected systems. Verify Gatekeeper remains enabled and functioning after patching.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 12.1 (Monterey), macOS 11.6.2 (Big Sur), or Security Update 2021-008 (Catalina)

  1. Open System Preferences (or System Settings on macOS 13+)
  2. Click on Software Update to check for available updates
  3. For macOS Monterey (12.0): Update to macOS 12.1 or later
  4. For macOS Big Sur (11.0-11.6.1): Update to macOS 11.6.2 or later
  5. For macOS Catalina (10.15.x): Apply Security Update 2021-008 via Software Update
  6. Restart the device after applying the update
Caveat Standard macOS upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for potential app compatibility issues; backup before upgrading

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

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-30990 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