dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2022-22589

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.4 / 10.15.7 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
A validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3, watchOS 8.4, tvOS 15.3, Safari 15.3, macOS Monterey 12.2. Processing a maliciously crafted mail message may lead to running arbitrary javascript.

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 confidence

This is an input validation vulnerability in Apple's Mail application across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Safari. Processing a maliciously crafted email message can lead to execution of arbitrary JavaScript code due to insufficient input sanitization, effectively a stored XSS vulnerability in the Mail component.

MitigationUpdate affected Apple devices to iOS 15.3/iPadOS 15.3, macOS Monterey 12.2, watchOS 8.4, tvOS 15.3, or Safari 15.3 and later. Consider disabling HTML email rendering in enterprise mail environments as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
SafariWeb browser
Affected:< 15.3
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 15.3
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.3
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.15, < 10.15.7= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.6.6>= 12.0.0, < 12.2
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 15.3
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 8.4

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the build number
    Affected if Version is less than 15.3 (for example, 15.2.x or earlier)
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version and note the build number
    Affected if Version is less than 15.3 (for example, 15.2.x or earlier)
  3. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac > Version (or run sw_vers in Terminal)
    Affected if macOS version is 11.0 to 11.6.5, or 12.0.0 to 12.1.x, or macOS X 10.15.0 to 10.15.7 (note: 10.15.7 is also listed as affected)
  4. Check Safari version
    Open Safari > About Safari (or Safari > Settings > Safari > About)
    Affected if Safari version is less than 15.3 (for example, 15.2.x or earlier)
  5. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version
    Affected if Version is less than 15.3 (for example, 15.2.x or earlier)
  6. Check watchOS version
    Open Watch app on paired iPhone > My Watch > General > About, or check directly on Apple Watch in Settings > General > About
    Affected if Version is less than 8.4 (for example, 8.3.x or earlier)

A user is affected if any of their Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Safari) runs a version lower than what is specified in the affected ranges, and they use the Mail app with HTML email rendering enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.4 / 10.15.7 / 11.6.6 or later
Fixed in 8.410.15.711.6.6
Interim mitigation

Update affected Apple devices to iOS 15.3/iPadOS 15.3, macOS Monterey 12.2, watchOS 8.4, tvOS 15.3, or Safari 15.3 and later. Consider disabling HTML email rendering in enterprise mail environments as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to iOS 15.3/iPadOS 15.3/watchOS 8.4/tvOS 15.3/Safari 15.3/macOS Monterey 12.2 (or macOS Big Sur 11.6.6+ / Catalina 10.15.7+)

  1. Check current device/system version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Preferences > Software Update (macOS)
  2. For iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS/iPadOS 15.3 or later
  3. For macOS: Open System Preferences > Software Update and install the security update for macOS (Monterey 12.2+, Big Sur 11.6.6+, or Catalina 10.15.7+)
  4. For Safari: Safari 15.3 is included with macOS updates; update macOS to receive the Safari fix
  5. For tvOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install tvOS 15.3 or later
  6. For watchOS: Install watchOS 8.4 or later via the Watch app on iPhone
  7. After updating, verify the update was successful by checking the version in Settings/General/About
Caveat Standard OS update risks apply - ensure backups exist before updating; enterprise managed devices may require IT admin approval

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-22589 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data