CVE-2022-22618
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 · uneditedThis issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in watchOS 8.5, iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4. A user may be able to bypass the Emergency SOS passcode prompt.
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 vulnerability in iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS allowed users to bypass the passcode prompt required for Emergency SOS functionality. The issue stemmed from insufficient validation checks in the Emergency SOS security mechanism, potentially allowing unauthorized access to certain device features without proper authentication.
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< 15.4< 15.4< 8.5CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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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Identify your Apple device typeDetermine if the device is an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch by checking the physical device or device model information in Settings > General > AboutAffected if Device is an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch
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Check iOS or iPadOS version on iPhone or iPadGo to Settings > General > About and note the version number displayed next to 'Version'Affected if Version number is less than 15.4 (for example, 15.3.1 or earlier)
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Check watchOS version on Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on your paired iPhone, go to General > About, and note the version number shown for the watchAffected if Version number is less than 8.5 (for example, 8.4.3 or earlier)
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Verify Emergency SOS is configuredOn iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Emergency SOS. On Apple Watch, go to Settings > SOS. Check if 'Call with Hold' or 'Call with 5 Presses' is enabledAffected if Emergency SOS is enabled (toggle is on) and the OS version is in the vulnerable range
Your device is affected if it is an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch running iOS/iPadOS version below 15.4 or watchOS version below 8.5, and Emergency SOS is enabled.
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 · scoped8.515.4
Upgrade to iOS 15.4 and later, iPadOS 15.4 and later, or watchOS 8.5 and later to apply Apple's improved validation checks for the Emergency SOS passcode prompt.
iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, watchOS 8.5
- Back up your device data before upgrading
- On the affected iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, go to Settings > General > Software Update
- Download and install iOS 15.4 (for iPhone), iPadOS 15.4 (for iPad), or watchOS 8.5 (for Apple Watch)
- After installation, verify the update by checking Settings > General > About to confirm the version number
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-22618 — 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-2022-22618 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data