dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2021-31007

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1 / 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
Description: A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1, tvOS 15.1, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2, watchOS 8.1, macOS Monterey 12.1. A malicious application may be able to bypass 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 confidence

A permissions validation issue in Apple's Privacy preferences on iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, macOS, and watchOS allowed malicious applications to bypass Privacy preferences, potentially accessing protected user data or system features without proper authorization.

MitigationUpdate to the fixed versions: iOS 15.1+, iPadOS 15.1+, tvOS 15.1+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2+, macOS Monterey 12.1+, or watchOS 8.1+. For enterprise environments, deploy updates via MDM and verify compliance.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 15.1
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.1
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.6.2>= 12.0.0, < 12.1
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 15.1
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 8.1

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. Identify the Apple device type
    Determine whether the device is an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch. This is required because version ranges differ by platform.
    Affected if Device is any Apple product running iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS
  2. Check the installed iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on iPhone or iPad. Locate the 'Version' field showing the build number (e.g., 15.0.2).
    Affected if iOS or iPadOS version is below 15.1 (any build ending in .0, .1, .2 through .0.x)
  3. Check the installed macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. The version number appears below macOS (e.g., 11.5.3 or 12.0.1).
    Affected if macOS version is 11.0 through 11.6.1, OR 12.0.0 through 12.0.x (anything below 11.6.2 or 12.1)
  4. Check the installed tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version on Apple TV.
    Affected if tvOS version is below 15.1
  5. Check the installed watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to General > About, or check directly on Apple Watch via Settings > General > About.
    Affected if watchOS version is below 8.1

The environment is affected if the device runs any iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS version that falls within the vulnerable ranges listed (iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/watchOS below 15.1/8.1, or macOS 11.0-11.6.1 or 12.0-12.0.x).

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 8.1 / 11.6.2 / 12.1 or later
Fixed in 8.111.6.212.1
Interim mitigation

Update to the fixed versions: iOS 15.1+, iPadOS 15.1+, tvOS 15.1+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2+, macOS Monterey 12.1+, or watchOS 8.1+. For enterprise environments, deploy updates via MDM and verify compliance.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, tvOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2, or macOS Monterey 12.1 (depending on device type)

  1. Determine the device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 15.1 or later
  3. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS Big Sur 11.6.2 or later, or macOS Monterey 12.1 or later
  4. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 15.1 or later
  5. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the paired iPhone, or directly on watch, and install watchOS 8.1 or later
  6. After updating, verify the update was successful by checking the software version in Settings > General > About
Caveat Minor iOS/macOS upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; however, some older apps may become incompatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2021-31007 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