CVE-2021-1855Network attack vector

Outbound favicon connections via faulty state management

Published Sep 8, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Logic error in Safari on Apple macOS before 11.3 allows remote attackers to force unnecessary favicon connections from a crafted website. Apple identifies the faulty locus only as Safari state management and has not disclosed which state transition incorrectly initiates or repeats the favicon fetch. Visiting attacker-controlled web content is the gate, and the bounded consequence is attacker-induced outbound connection activity rather than code execution or data modification.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.79%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Logic error in Safari on Apple macOS before 11.3 allows remote attackers to force unnecessary favicon connections from a crafted website. Apple identifies the faulty locus only as Safari state management and has not disclosed which state transition incorrectly initiates or repeats the favicon fetch. Visiting attacker-controlled web content is the gate, and the bounded consequence is attacker-induced outbound connection activity rather than code execution or data modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-1855
Published
Sep 8, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Apple
Product
macOS
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 8, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <11.3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Apple · macOSversion=unspecified <11.3

Published CVSS scores

6.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
6.4NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

No sourced classifications are available.

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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