dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-22625

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.15.7 / 11.6.5 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, macOS Monterey 12.3, Security Update 2022-003 Catalina. Processing a maliciously crafted AppleScript binary may result in unexpected application termination or disclosure of process memory.

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 out-of-bounds read vulnerability in macOS AppleScript binary processing. When processing a maliciously crafted AppleScript binary, the vulnerability allows an attacker to read memory beyond allocated buffers, potentially causing application termination (denial of service) or leaking process memory contents. The fix involves improved input validation in AppleScript handling.

MitigationApply the applicable Apple security update: macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, macOS Monterey 12.3, or Security Update 2022-003 for Catalina. Prioritize systems that process untrusted AppleScript binaries.

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
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:>= 10.15, < 10.15.7= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 11.6.5>= 12.0.0, < 12.3= 10.15.7

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Check macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to get the exact version number
    Affected if Version is 10.15.x, 11.x before 11.6.5, or 12.x before 12.3 (including 12.0.0-12.2)
  2. Identify macOS release name
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' and map to release: 10.15.x = Catalina, 11.x = Big Sur, 12.x = Monterey
    Affected if Running Catalina (10.15), Big Sur 11.0-11.6.4, or Monterey 12.0-12.2
  3. Verify AppleScript support is present
    Check for /System/Library/Frameworks/AppleScript.framework existence or run 'osascript -v' to confirm AppleScript interpreter is available
    Affected if AppleScript framework is installed and accessible on the system
  4. Check for automation/AppleScript execution access
    Review which applications have Automation permission in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Automation, or run 'osascript -e "say \"test\""' to confirm execution works
    Affected if Any application has AppleScript/Automation permissions enabled, allowing processing of AppleScript binaries
  5. Determine if system processes untrusted AppleScript binaries
    Audit scheduled tasks, launched agents/daemons, or user workflows that execute .scpt or compiled AppleScript files from untrusted sources
    Affected if The system runs or processes AppleScript binaries from sources outside the trusted administrative circle

The system is affected if it runs any macOS version in the range 10.15.x, 11.0-11.6.4, or 12.0-12.2 AND has AppleScript capabilities enabled to process potentially untrusted AppleScript binaries.

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 10.15.7 / 11.6.5 / 12.3 or later
Fixed in 10.15.711.6.512.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the applicable Apple security update: macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, macOS Monterey 12.3, or Security Update 2022-003 for Catalina. Prioritize systems that process untrusted AppleScript binaries.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 11.6.5 (Big Sur), macOS 12.3 (Monterey), or Security Update 2022-003 for Catalina

  1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine before applying any system updates
  2. Identify your current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
  3. For macOS 10.15 (Catalina): Install Security Update 2022-003 via System Preferences > Software Update, or upgrade to a supported macOS version (Big Sur 11.7+ or Monterey 12.4+)
  4. For macOS 11.x (Big Sur versions before 11.6.5): Install macOS 11.6.5 via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. For macOS 12.x (Monterey versions 12.0-12.2): Install macOS 12.3 via System Preferences > Software Update
  6. After updating, verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac shows the fixed version
Caveat Major macOS upgrades may have compatibility issues with older applications; backup recommended

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

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2022-22625 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