CVE-2021-31006
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 · uneditedDescription: A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in watchOS 7.6, tvOS 14.7, macOS Big Sur 11.5. A malicious application may be able to bypass certain Privacy preferences.
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 confidenceA validation flaw in Apple's privacy preferences system in macOS Big Sur 11.5, watchOS 7.6, and tvOS 14.7 allowed malicious local applications to bypass certain Privacy preferences through improper validation of permission requests.
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>= 11.0, < 11.5< 14.7< 7.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check macOS version on Mac computersOpen System Preferences > About or run `sw_vers -productVersion` in TerminalAffected if Version is 11.0 through 11.4.x (any version >= 11.0 but < 11.5)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > About, or on Apple Watch go to Settings > AboutAffected if Version is any release before 7.6 (e.g., 7.5.x, 7.4.x, etc.)
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Check tvOS version on Apple TVGo to Settings > General > About on Apple TVAffected if Version is any release before 14.7 (e.g., 14.6, 14.5, etc.)
If the device runs macOS Big Sur 11.0-11.4.x, watchOS before 7.6, or tvOS before 14.7, the validation flaw in Privacy preferences may allow local applications to bypass permission requests.
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 · scoped7.611.514.7
Apply the vendor-supplied OS updates (macOS Big Sur 11.5+, watchOS 7.6+, tvOS 14.7+) to affected devices to remediate the validation vulnerability.
macOS Big Sur 11.5 / tvOS 14.7 / watchOS 7.6
- For macOS: Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.5 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
- For tvOS: Upgrade to tvOS 14.7 or later via Settings > System > Software Updates
- For watchOS: Upgrade to watchOS 7.6 or later via the Watch app on iPhone > General > Software Update
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-2021-31006 — 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-2021-31006 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