CVE-2022-22603
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 · uneditedAn out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in Xcode 13.3. Opening a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.
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 confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Xcode versions prior to 13.3. The vulnerability exists in Xcode's file parsing logic and can be triggered when a user opens a maliciously crafted file. Successful exploitation may lead to application termination (DoS) or arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the vulnerable Xcode process.
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< 13.3CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Determine Xcode installation pathOpen Terminal and run: xcode-select -p to find the Xcode developer directory pathAffected if Command fails or returns unexpected path indicates Xcode may not be properly installed
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Check installed Xcode versionRun: xcodebuild -version or open Xcode and go to Xcode > About Xcode to see the version numberAffected if Version displayed is below 13.3 (e.g., 13.2, 13.1, 13.0, 12.x, etc.)
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Verify file parsing capability existsConfirm Xcode can open project files, workspaces, or source files - the vulnerability is in the file parsing logic that processes these filesAffected if Xcode can open and parse project files, which means the vulnerable code path exists in the installation
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Check for third-party Xcode plugins or extensionsInspect ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Plug-ins for any third-party plugins that may add file parsing capabilitiesAffected if Additional plugins that extend file parsing are present, they may also be affected by the same vulnerability
Your environment is affected if Xcode is installed with a version lower than 13.3, as the vulnerable file parsing logic is present and can be triggered by opening a maliciously crafted file.
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 · scoped13.3
Update Xcode to version 13.3 or later. Avoid opening files from untrusted sources in Xcode until the update is applied.
Xcode 13.3 or later
- Check current Xcode version by running 'xcodebuild -version' in Terminal
- Open the Mac App Store and search for Xcode, or visit the Apple Developer portal
- Download and install Xcode 13.3 or later
- Launch Xcode and confirm the version matches 13.3 or higher using 'xcodebuild -version'
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-2022-22603 — 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-2022-22603 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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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.
- 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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