IRONSMITHINTEL
HIGHCVSS8.8
|
Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2021-1789|Auth: none — unauthenticated|Reboot: required|Manual only

Apple Multiple Products Type Confusion Vulnerability (CVE-2021-1789)

A type confusion issue affecting multiple Apple products allows processing of maliciously crafted web content, leading to arbitrary code execution.

Published Apr 2, 2021 · Updated May 17, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, without authentication, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data, complete denial of service or system unavailability. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2022-05-25 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This is a Type Confusion (CWE-843) vulnerability in Apple Multiple Products. A type confusion issue was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001 Catalina, Security Update 2021-001 Mojave, tvOS 14.4, watchOS 7.3, iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4, Safari 14.0.3. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, no authentication required, and user interaction required.

📧

Phishing link

→

🖼

Malicious file

🔓

Server compromised

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

●Apple Device Administrators
●Endpoint Security
●IT Security
●Running ipados: v < 14.4; iphone os: v < 14.4; mac os x: 10.14 ≤ v < 10.14.6, 10.15 ≤ v < 10.15.7, 10.14.6, 10.15.7; macos: 11.0 ≤ v < 11.2; tvos: v < 14.4; watchos: v < 7.3; fedora: 32, 33; webkitgtk: v < 2.30.6
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

CISA added this CVE to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-05-04 based on evidence of active exploitation in the wild. Federal agencies required to remediate by 2022-05-25.

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

1
Identify affected hosts: query inventory for general installs in scope.
2
Apply the vendor security update referenced in CVE-2021-1789's advisory. No specific KB/version is encoded yet — consult the linked MSRC/vendor URL.
3
Verify the fix per the vendor's published verification steps.
4
Document the remediation in your change ticket and re-scan with your vulnerability scanner to confirm closure.
PowerShell automationComing soon

No tested PowerShell script for this entry yet. We’re prioritising automation based on user demand.

References

↗ CVE-2021-1789↗ MSRC Advisory↗ NVD↗ Vendor Advisory