dbcve.org
ItunesApplication · Apple

CVE-2022-26773

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.12.4 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
A logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iTunes 12.12.4 for Windows. An application may be able to delete files for which it does not have permission.

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 confidence

This is a logic flaw in iTunes 12.12.3 and earlier for Windows where improved state management was needed. The vulnerability allows a malicious or compromised application to bypass Windows file permission checks and delete files for which it should not have delete access.

MitigationDeploy iTunes 12.12.4 or later for Windows. Use endpoint management tools to identify and update all systems with vulnerable iTunes installations.

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
ItunesApplication
Affected:< 12.12.4

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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. Verify iTunes is installed on Windows
    Check for iTunes installation by looking in Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders for the iTunes folder, or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an iTunes entry.
    Affected if iTunes is found installed on the system
  2. Locate the iTunes executable
    Navigate to the iTunes installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\iTunes or C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes) and locate iTunes.exe.
    Affected if iTunes.exe exists in the expected installation directory
  3. Retrieve the installed iTunes version
    Right-click on iTunes.exe, select Properties, and view the Details tab to see the File Version. Alternatively, open PowerShell and run: (Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe').VersionInfo.FileVersion
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 12.12.4 or the file version shows 12.12.3 or earlier
  4. Check Program Files for multiple iTunes installations
    Search both C:\Program Files\iTunes and C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes directories. Some systems may have iTunes installed in either location depending on architecture.
    Affected if iTunes version 12.12.3 or earlier is found in either location
  5. Confirm Windows platform
    Verify the operating system is Windows (this vulnerability affects only Windows versions of iTunes). Check system properties or run 'winver' in the Run dialog.
    Affected if The system is running Windows with iTunes version 12.12.3 or earlier installed

The system is affected if iTunes version 12.12.3 or earlier is installed on a Windows system, since the vulnerability allows a malicious application to bypass Windows file permission checks for file deletion.

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 12.12.4 or later
Fixed in 12.12.4
Interim mitigation

Deploy iTunes 12.12.4 or later for Windows. Use endpoint management tools to identify and update all systems with vulnerable iTunes installations.

Recommended fix High confidence

iTunes 12.12.4 for Windows

  1. Open Microsoft Store on Windows and search for iTunes, or visit the official Apple iTunes download page at support.apple.com
  2. Download and install iTunes version 12.12.4 for Windows
  3. Launch iTunes and verify the version by clicking Help > About iTunes to confirm version 12.12.4 is installed

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

Fix this in Itunes Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

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

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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-2022-26773 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