Security Resilience

CVE-2021-30666

Memory Safety in Apple Iphone Os ≤ 12.5.3

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedMemory Safety
Published
08 September 2021
Modified
23 October 2025
KEV Added
03 November 2021
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.030 87th percentile
Risk Priority 90 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2021-30666 is a high-severity Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer (CWE-119) vulnerability in Apple Iphone Os. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, ranked in the top 13% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

A buffer overflow vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2021-30666 and assigned CWE-119, affects iOS versions prior to 12.5.3. The flaw stems from improper memory handling when processing web content and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8, reflecting network attack vectors with low complexity and no required privileges.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the issue by supplying maliciously crafted web content that a victim processes, typically through a browser or WebKit-based application. Successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution, granting the attacker full control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the device.

Apple addressed the vulnerability with improved memory handling in the iOS 12.5.3 release, as detailed in its security advisory HT212341. The CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog lists the CVE, confirming active exploitation in the wild and underscoring the need for immediate patching on supported devices.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 12.5.3. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been…

more

actively exploited..

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
03 November 2021

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2021-30761Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2021-30762Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2016-4657Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2016-4656Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2019-7287Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2016-4655Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2018-4344Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2025-31200Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2026-20700Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV
CVE-2023-42824Same product: Apple Iphone Osboth on KEV

Affected Assets

apple
iphone os
≤ 12.5.3

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-119

Ongoing control assessments and code testing (static/dynamic analysis, fuzzing) surface memory buffer restriction failures, which are then remediated before release.

addresses: CWE-119

Managed runtimes used by platform-independent applications (e.g., JVM, CLR) enforce memory safety, preventing most buffer overflows that require direct memory manipulation.

addresses: CWE-119

Memory protections (e.g., W^X, ASLR) make exploitation of buffer-boundary violations far harder to turn into code execution.

addresses: CWE-119

Detects exploitation attempts that produce memory corruption, crashes, or anomalous behavior.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

blocks

A.8.25 mandates secure SDLC practices (secure coding guidelines, security requirements, testing including code scans and penetration tests, developer training) that reach buffer management and can stop many buffer overruns from reaching production, but leaves a bounded remainder (e.g. flaws in non-software components, incomplete enforcement of guidelines, or post-deployment changes)

blocks

Application security requirements can specify memory-safety rules, but do not prescribe implementation details.

blocks

A.8.27 mandates security-by-design principles (e.g. least privilege, fail securely, distrust external input, hardening) plus design reviews that can catch and stop buffer-boundary errors before they reach code, but this is only one minority slice of CWE-119's broad surface (language-specific flaws, unsafe library use, compiler/runtime mitigations, and post-deployment instances remain outside its direct scope).

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe buffer operations, directly eliminating CWE-119.

finds

Security testing in development catches out-of-bounds accesses before release, covering most instances of the weakness.

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

  • No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-119, a class-level weakness. Rules are authored against its narrower children: CWE-823.

References