CVE-2022-26743
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 write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.4. An attacker that has already achieved code execution in macOS Recovery may be able to escalate to kernel privileges.
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 confidenceOut-of-bounds write vulnerability in macOS Recovery mode that allows privilege escalation from code execution in Recovery to kernel privileges. The issue was addressed with improved bounds checking in macOS Monterey 12.4.
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>= 12.0, < 12.4CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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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Check macOS version in useRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or click Apple menu > About This Mac to view the installed macOS version numberAffected if The version displayed is 12.0, 12.1, 12.2, or 12.3.x (any version in the range 12.0 <= version < 12.4)
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Verify boot environment is Recovery modeBoot into Recovery mode by restarting and holding Command+R, or check current boot state via 'nvram -p' looking for 'boot-mode' value, or inspect System Integrity Protection status in Recovery via 'csrutil status'Affected if The system is booted into Recovery mode or the user has code execution capability within Recovery environment on an affected macOS version
You are affected if the macOS version is 12.0, 12.1, 12.2, or 12.3.x and you have code execution capability in Recovery mode (boot into Recovery with Command+R).
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 · scoped12.4
Update to macOS Monterey 12.4 or later, which contains the fix with improved bounds checking.
macOS Monterey 12.4 or later
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine before applying any system updates
- Open System Preferences and click on Software Update
- Click 'Upgrade Now' or 'Update Now' to install macOS Monterey 12.4
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the update was successful by checking System Preferences > About > Version (should show 12.4)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-26743 — 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-2022-26743 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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- 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