basicsecurity.net
Proof, not just disclosure.
Threats / Apple / CVE-2021-30713
CVE-2021-30713 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-06-22

Apple macOS vulnerability

Apple macOS TCC framework contains a permissions bypass vulnerability allowing malicious applications to circumvent privacy controls and access protected user data without proper consent.

Verdict

Today item — known-exploited.

A local privilege escalation and privacy bypass in macOS TCC enables installed malware to access sensitive user information by evading transparency and consent mechanisms. Active exploitation in the wild demonstrates practical threat.

CISA KEV Yes · 2021-11-033EPSS 0.0658 (verify live)4
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Reported exploitation
3 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03).
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.0658 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Apple, macOS. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
NVD ↗Reported
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-862 Missing Authorization — weakness family: Authorization / access control.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
NVD ↗Reported
WeaknessCWE-862 · Missing AuthorizationAuthorization / access control
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution not established

No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.

03

Why it matters

— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
I craft a malicious application that exploits the TCC permissions flaw to bypass privacy controls.
Business
User privacy is compromised as sensitive data becomes accessible to unauthorized applications without user knowledge or consent.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
I distribute the application through social engineering or compromised software channels to gain local execution.
Business
Attack surface expands as legitimate-appearing applications can now access protected resources like camera, microphone, location, and file systems.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
I exfiltrate protected user data such as contacts, photos, browsing history, or credentials once TCC restrictions are bypassed.
Business
Customer trust erodes and regulatory exposure increases under privacy frameworks like GDPR and CCPA due to unauthorized data access.
04

What to do

— defensible action
  • Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05

Coverage & confidence

— what we know, and what we don’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • 3 reported-exploitation source(s)
  • CWE weakness mapping (NVD)
  • Catalogued by apple (CNA)
  • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
  • No finder/reporter credit recorded in the public CVE entry — the work behind this find is unattributed.
  • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by appleCNA
    Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.