dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-26768

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.6 / 11.6.6 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 corruption issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.4, watchOS 8.6, tvOS 15.5, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6. An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with 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 · moderate confidence

A memory corruption vulnerability in Apple kernel components allowed a malicious application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. The issue was addressed through improved state management in the affected operating systems.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches by updating to macOS Monterey 12.4 (or later), macOS Big Sur 11.6.6, watchOS 8.6, or tvOS 15.5 as appropriate for the affected device.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 15.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.6
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.6.6>= 12.0, < 12.4
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 15.5
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 8.6

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. Check macOS version on Mac computers
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or go to Apple menu > About This Mac to view the macOS version number
    Affected if Running macOS 11.0 to 11.6.5 (any version >= 11.0 but < 11.6.6) OR macOS 12.0 to 12.3 (any version >= 12.0 but < 12.4)
  2. Check iOS version on iPhone
    Go to Settings > General > About to view the iOS version number
    Affected if Running iOS version < 15.6
  3. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About to view the iPadOS version number
    Affected if Running iPadOS version < 15.6
  4. Check tvOS version on Apple TV
    Go to Settings > General > About to view the tvOS version number
    Affected if Running tvOS version < 15.5
  5. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > About to view the watchOS version number
    Affected if Running watchOS version < 8.6

The system is affected if the installed Apple operating system version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges: iOS/iPadOS < 15.6, macOS 11.x < 11.6.6 or 12.x < 12.4, tvOS < 15.5, or watchOS < 8.6.

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 8.6 / 11.6.6 / 12.4 or later
Fixed in 8.611.6.612.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches by updating to macOS Monterey 12.4 (or later), macOS Big Sur 11.6.6, watchOS 8.6, or tvOS 15.5 as appropriate for the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS/iPadOS 15.6+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6+, macOS Monterey 12.4+, tvOS 15.5+, watchOS 8.6+

  1. Identify the Apple device type (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)
  2. Check the current OS version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Preferences > General > About (macOS)
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS/iPadOS 15.6 or later via Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For Mac running macOS Big Sur (11.x): Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.6.6 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. For Mac running macOS Monterey (12.x): Upgrade to macOS 12.4 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  6. For Apple TV: Upgrade to tvOS 15.5 or later via Settings > System > Software Updates
  7. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 8.6 or later via the Watch app on iPhone > General > Software Update
  8. After updating, verify the OS version meets or exceeds the fixed release for your device
Caveat Major OS updates may introduce compatibility issues with older applications or configuration profiles; test in non-production environment first if possible

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,864.

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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-2022-26768 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