dbcve.org
ItunesApplication · Apple

CVE-2022-22612

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.5 / 12.3 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 memory consumption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in tvOS 15.4, iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4, iTunes 12.12.3 for Windows, watchOS 8.5, macOS Monterey 12.3. Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to heap corruption.

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 · high confidence

This is a memory handling vulnerability in Apple's image processing components. When processing a maliciously crafted image, the application experiences heap corruption due to improper memory allocation/handling. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH) indicating significant potential for code execution or denial of service.

MitigationUpdate to the patched versions: iOS/iPadOS 15.4, tvOS 15.4, watchOS 8.5, macOS Monterey 12.3, or iTunes 12.12.3 for Windows. Do not process untrusted images from unknown sources.

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
ItunesApplication
Affected:< 12.12.3
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 15.4
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.4
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0, < 12.3
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 15.4
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 8.5

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the Apple product
    Determine which Apple software is installed: iTunes on Windows, iOS/iPadOS on mobile device, macOS on Mac computer, tvOS on Apple TV, or watchOS on Apple Watch
    Affected if Any Apple product from the affected list is in use
  2. Check iTunes version on Windows
    Open iTunes, go to Help > About iTunes to view the version number, or check Programs and Features in Control Panel
    Affected if Version is below 12.12.3
  3. Check iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPhone or iPad, look at the Version field
    Affected if Version is below 15.4
  4. Check macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac, look at the version number under macOS (for macOS 12 Monterey, check that version is 12.3 or higher)
    Affected if macOS version is 12.0, 12.1, or 12.2 (below 12.3)
  5. Check tvOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on Apple TV, look at the version number
    Affected if Version is below 15.4
  6. Check watchOS version
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About, look at the Version
    Affected if Version is below 8.5

If the installed version of any affected Apple product (iTunes, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS) falls below the specified threshold for that product, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2022-22612.

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 8.5 / 12.3 / 12.12.3 or later
Fixed in 8.512.312.12.3
Interim mitigation

Update to the patched versions: iOS/iPadOS 15.4, tvOS 15.4, watchOS 8.5, macOS Monterey 12.3, or iTunes 12.12.3 for Windows. Do not process untrusted images from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.4+, iPadOS 15.4+, macOS Monterey 12.3+, tvOS 15.4+, watchOS 8.5+, iTunes 12.12.3 for Windows

  1. For iOS devices (iPhone/iPad): Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 15.4 or later
  2. For macOS Monterey: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.3 or later
  3. For tvOS devices: Go to Settings > System > Software Update and upgrade to tvOS 15.4 or later
  4. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the watch and upgrade to watchOS 8.5 or later
  5. For Windows iTunes: Download and install iTunes 12.12.3 or later from the official Apple website
Caveat Major OS updates may introduce compatibility issues with older applications; ensure backup before upgrading iOS/tvOS/watchOS devices

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

Fix this in Itunes Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2022-22612 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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