CVE-2021-1815 Path traversal in iOS and iPadOS
A local attacker can exploit a path validation flaw to modify protected parts of the file system on Apple devices.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2021-1815?
CVE-2021-1815 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Apple Ipados, published on 8 Sep 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A parsing issue in the handling of directory paths was addressed with improved path validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.3, iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5. A local user may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-1815?
It affects 5 products.
Products include Apple Ipados, Apple Iphone Os, Apple Macos, Apple Tvos, Apple Watchos.
How do I fix CVE-2021-1815?
No fix has been published for CVE-2021-1815 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2021-1815 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-1815 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Apple Ipados
- CVE-2025-43300 Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Out-of-Bounds Write
- CVE-2025-24201 Apple Multiple Products WebKit Out-of-Bounds Write
- CVE-2025-24085 Apple Multiple Products Use-After-Free
- CVE-2025-31200 Apple Multiple Products Memory Corruption
- CVE-2025-31201 Apple Multiple Products Arbitrary Read and Write
Sources
Also known as GHSA-vx92-qgjq-h8fv.