Sandbox escape via insufficient deserialization validation
Published Aug 24, 2021 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
Deserialization in Apple Core Telephony on macOS and watchOS allows attackers controlling a sandboxed process to bypass its sandbox. Core Telephony deserializes input without sufficient validation; Apple has not disclosed the affected interface, object type, or data origin. Execution from an already sandboxed process is required, and successful exploitation crosses that sandbox boundary without establishing kernel or administrator control.
Summary
What happened
Deserialization in Apple Core Telephony on macOS and watchOS allows attackers controlling a sandboxed process to bypass its sandbox. Core Telephony deserializes input without sufficient validation; Apple has not disclosed the affected interface, object type, or data origin. Execution from an already sandboxed process is required, and successful exploitation crosses that sandbox boundary without establishing kernel or administrator control.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-31010
- Published
- Aug 24, 2021
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Apple
- Product
- macOS
- Classifications
- CWE-502, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 24, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 25, 2022Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entry
- Oct 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=unspecified <11.6
- Affected versionversion=unspecified <2021
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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.
Reported exploitation
- Apple report of active exploitation at releasereported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entryknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo