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Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-26770

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.15.7 / 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
An out-of-bounds read issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2022-004 Catalina, macOS Monterey 12.4, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6. A malicious 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

CVE-2022-26770 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the macOS kernel that was addressed with improved input validation. A malicious application could exploit this flaw to read memory beyond intended bounds and potentially achieve arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges. The vulnerability affects macOS Catalina, Big Sur 11.6.6, and Monterey 12.4.

MitigationApply the appropriate macOS security update (Security Update 2022-004 for Catalina, macOS Monterey 12.4, or macOS Big Sur 11.6.6) to patch the kernel vulnerability. As a defense-in-depth measure, restrict execution of untrusted applications and monitor for indicators of compromise.

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:>= 11.0, < 11.6.6>= 12.0.0, < 12.4

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 installed macOS version
    Run `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal to obtain the exact operating system version
    Affected if The version is 10.15.7, or falls between 11.0 and 11.6.5 inclusive, or between 12.0.0 and 12.3.x inclusive
  2. Compare version against fixed releases
    Verify the installed version against the fixed releases: macOS 10.15.7 (Catalina), 11.6.6 (Big Sur), or 12.4 (Monterey)
    Affected if The installed version is lower than the fixed release for your macOS generation
  3. Confirm security update presence
    Check System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General for recent security updates, or run `system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType` to view installed updates
    Affected if The specific security update for this CVE (Security Update 2022-004 for Catalina, Big Sur 11.6.6, or Monterey 12.4) is not listed as installed
  4. Verify kernel extension loading policy
    Review System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General for any blocked kernel extensions that may indicate attempted exploitation
    Affected if Unexpected kernel extension blocks or unsigned kernel extensions are present (this indicates potential exploitation attempt, not just vulnerability)

A system is affected if it runs any unpatched version within the affected ranges: macOS Catalina 10.15.7, Big Sur 11.0-11.6.5, or Monterey 12.0-12.3.

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 / 11.6.6 / 12.4 or later
Fixed in 10.15.711.6.612.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate macOS security update (Security Update 2022-004 for Catalina, macOS Monterey 12.4, or macOS Big Sur 11.6.6) to patch the kernel vulnerability. As a defense-in-depth measure, restrict execution of untrusted applications and monitor for indicators of compromise.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Catalina Security Update 2022-004, macOS Big Sur 11.6.6, or macOS Monterey 12.4

  1. Identify the current macOS version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
  2. For macOS Catalina (10.15.7): Install Security Update 2022-004 via System Preferences > Software Update
  3. For macOS Big Sur (11.0-11.6.5): Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.6.6 via System Preferences > Software Update
  4. For macOS Monterey (12.0-12.3): Upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.4 via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. Restart the system after the update completes
  6. Verify the installed version matches the fixed release in System Preferences > Software Update
Caveat Standard macOS security updates typically do not introduce breaking changes; however, backing up data before applying updates is recommended

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

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,590
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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-2022-26770 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