CVE-2021-1808
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2021-1808 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Apple operating systems that allows applications to read restricted memory regions. This could lead to information disclosure of sensitive data. Affected users include those running unpatched versions of macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
💻 Affected Systems
- macOS
- iOS
- iPadOS
- watchOS
- tvOS
📦 What is this software?
Ipados by Apple
Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →Tvos by Apple
Watchos by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could read sensitive kernel memory, potentially obtaining encryption keys, authentication tokens, or other privileged information leading to full system compromise.
Likely Case
Malicious applications could bypass sandbox restrictions to access sensitive user data or system information from memory.
If Mitigated
With proper application sandboxing and security controls, exploitation would be limited to the sandbox context with minimal impact.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires a malicious application to be installed and executed on the target system. No public exploit code is available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Security Update 2021-002 Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 Mojave, iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212317
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open System Preferences > Software Update on macOS. 2. Open Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS. 3. Open the Watch app > General > Software Update on watchOS. 4. Open Settings > System > Software Updates on tvOS. 5. Install the latest security updates and restart the device.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Application Whitelisting
allRestrict application installation to trusted sources only to prevent malicious applications from exploiting this vulnerability.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict application control policies to prevent installation of untrusted applications.
- Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious memory access patterns.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the operating system version against the patched versions listed in the Apple security advisories.Check Version:
macOS: sw_vers -productVersion; iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version; watchOS: Watch app > General > About > Version; tvOS: Settings > General > About > VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the operating system version matches or exceeds the patched versions: macOS 11.3+, iOS 14.5+, iPadOS 14.5+, watchOS 7.4+, tvOS 14.5+.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual memory access patterns in system logs
- Applications attempting to access restricted memory regions
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators as this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
No specific SIEM query available as this is a local memory corruption vulnerability🔗 References
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212317
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212323
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212324
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212325
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212326
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212327
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212317
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212323
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212324
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212325
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212326
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212327
