Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Apple macOS flaw lets a malicious app abuse inherited permissions to change protected file-system areas. Apple fixed it in macOS Monterey 12.0.1, Big Sur 11.6.1, and Security Update 2021-007 Catalina. Treat unmanaged or outdated Macs as the main business risk.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for managed Mac fleets, especially users with access to sensitive data. The urgency is meaningful but not proven emergency-level from the provided evidence because public exploitation and CVSS details are not supplied.
Technical view
CVE-2021-30892 is an inherited permissions issue in macOS. Apple says additional restrictions addressed it. The stated impact is that a malicious application may modify protected parts of the file system. Sources do not provide CVSS, CWE, exact components, or exploit primitives.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Apple macOS endpoints missing Monterey 12.0.1, Big Sur 11.6.1, or Security Update 2021-007 Catalina. The source bundle lists macOS broadly and does not identify narrower product versions or configurations.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not state active exploitation, and this CVE is not flagged in KEV. The described attacker condition is a malicious application already running on the Mac, so exposure depends heavily on application control, endpoint hygiene, and patch status.
Researcher notes
Apple’s advisory language is minimal: inherited permissions, additional restrictions, and protected file-system modification by a malicious app. No CWE, CVSS, affected build range, or technical root cause is included, so validation should focus on patch state and endpoint telemetry, not assumed exploit behavior.
Mitigation direction
- Update macOS Monterey systems to 12.0.1 or later.
- Update Big Sur systems to 11.6.1 or later.
- Apply Security Update 2021-007 on Catalina systems.
- Check Apple guidance for currently supported upgrade paths.
- Strengthen controls blocking untrusted applications on macOS endpoints.
Validation and detection
- Inventory macOS versions across managed and unmanaged endpoints.
- Confirm affected Macs have the named Apple fixes installed.
- Review endpoint controls for untrusted or unsigned application execution.
- Check security tooling for protected file-system modification alerts.
- Track exceptions where older macOS versions remain in service.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2021-30892 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212869CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212871CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212872CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.