CVE-2021-30992
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved handling of file metadata. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2. A user in a FaceTime call may unexpectedly leak sensitive user information through Live Photos metadata.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in iOS allows a FaceTime caller to potentially access sensitive user information through Live Photos metadata. When a user takes a Live Photo during a FaceTime call, improper metadata handling can cause unintended information leakage to the caller. This is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting iOS prior to 15.2.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the iOS version installed on your deviceGo to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' field. Compare this to 15.2.Affected if The version number is less than 15.2 (for example, 15.1, 15.0, 14.x, etc.)
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Verify FaceTime is enabledGo to Settings > FaceTime and confirm the FaceTime toggle is turned on.Affected if FaceTime is active and the iOS version is below 15.2
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Confirm Live Photos functionality is availableOpen the Camera app, tap the circular icon at the top right to ensure Live Photos is enabled (it should show a white/yellow outline when active).Affected if Live Photos is enabled on a device running iOS versions prior to 15.2
Your device is affected if it runs iOS or iPadOS version 15.1 or earlier AND you use FaceTime with Live Photos enabled.
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 devices to iOS 15.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Users should also be cautious about taking Live Photos during FaceTime calls until the update is applied.
iOS 15.2 / iPadOS 15.2 or later
- Back up your iPhone or iPad using iCloud or your computer before performing the update
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update on your device
- Download and install iOS 15.2 or iPadOS 15.2 or later
- Ensure the update completes successfully and your device restarts
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation0.5 h
- Testing0.5 h
- Review / QA0.5 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30992 — 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-2021-30992 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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- 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