CVE-2021-30993
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 macOS Monterey 12.1, watchOS 8.3, iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2, tvOS 15.2. An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to execute arbitrary code.
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 buffer overflow vulnerability in Apple's operating systems (macOS Monterey, watchOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS) allowed arbitrary code execution by an attacker positioned on a privileged network. The issue was addressed through improved memory handling in versions 12.1/8.3/15.2.
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< 15.2>= 12.0, < 12.1< 15.2< 8.3CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/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 macOS version on MacsRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or open System Preferences > About (or System Settings > About on newer macOS)Affected if version is 12.0 (the only version in the range 12.0 to <12.1)
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Check iOS version on iPhonesOpen Settings > General > About on the device and note the version numberAffected if version is below 15.2 (e.g., 15.0, 15.1, or earlier)
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Check iPadOS version on iPadsOpen Settings > General > About on the device and note the version numberAffected if version is below 15.2 (e.g., 15.0, 15.1, or earlier)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchesOpen the Watch app on the paired iPhone, go to General > About, and note the watchOS versionAffected if version is below 8.3 (e.g., 8.0, 8.1, 8.2)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TV devicesOpen Settings > General > About on the Apple TV and note the version numberAffected if version is below 15.2 (e.g., 15.0, 15.1, or earlier)
You are affected if any Apple device on your network runs macOS Monterey 12.0, iOS/iPadOS below 15.2, watchOS below 8.3, or tvOS below 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 · scoped8.312.115.2
Apply the security updates (macOS Monterey 12.1+, watchOS 8.3+, iOS/iPadOS 15.2+, tvOS 15.2+) to all affected devices to remediate the buffer overflow vulnerability.
iOS 15.2 / iPadOS 15.2 / macOS 12.1 Monterey / tvOS 15.2 / watchOS 8.3
- For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 15.2 or later
- For iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iPadOS 15.2 or later
- For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS Monterey 12.1 or later
- For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 15.2 or later
- For Apple Watch: On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to General > Software Update and install watchOS 8.3 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30993 — 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-2021-30993 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