CVE-2022-22582
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA validation issue existed in the handling of symlinks. This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2022-003 Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, macOS Monterey 12.3. A local user may be able to write arbitrary files.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceA validation vulnerability in macOS symlink handling allows a local authenticated user to write arbitrary files to the filesystem by exploiting improper validation of symlinks. The vulnerability stems from insufficient checks when processing symbolic links, enabling path traversal or arbitrary file write attacks.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 10.15.7>= 11.0, < 11.6.5>= 12.0.0, < 12.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check macOS versionRun 'sw_vers' in Terminal or System Preferences > About to see the exact version number (e.g., 12.2.1, 11.6.4, 10.15.7)Affected if Version is 10.15.7, or between 11.0 and 11.6.4 (inclusive), or between 12.0.0 and 12.2.x (inclusive)
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Confirm build date (optional)Run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' to see the system version details and build numberAffected if Build is older than the security update releases for your macOS version
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Verify patch statusCheck System Preferences > Software Update for available updates, or run 'softwareupdate -l' in TerminalAffected if Security Update 2022-003 (Catalina), macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, or macOS Monterey 12.3 or later is not installed
You are affected if your macOS version is 10.15.7, 11.0-11.6.4, or 12.0.0-12.2.x and the corresponding security update has not been applied.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped11.6.512.3
Apply the appropriate Apple security update: Security Update 2022-003 for macOS Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, or macOS Monterey 12.3. Alternatively, upgrade to a patched macOS version.
macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, macOS Monterey 12.3, or Security Update 2022-003 for Catalina
- Open System Preferences (macOS 12 and earlier) or System Settings (macOS 13 and later)
- Click on 'Software Update' to check for available updates
- For macOS 10.15.7 (Catalina): Apply Security Update 2022-003 when available
- For macOS 11.x (Big Sur): Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.6.5
- For macOS 12.x (Monterey): Upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.3
- Restart the system after the update completes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-22582 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-22582 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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