CVE-2022-32789
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 · uneditedA logic issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.5. An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.
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 confidenceA logic flaw in macOS allowed applications to bypass Privacy preferences, potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive user data or system settings. The vulnerability was addressed through improved validation checks in macOS Monterey 12.5.
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, < 12.5CVSS 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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 installed macOS versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal, or go to Apple menu > About This Mac > VersionAffected if Version shows 12.0, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, or 12.4 (any version >= 12.0 but < 12.5)
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Confirm macOS release nameRun 'sw_vers -productVersionExtra' or check the About This Mac window for the release nameAffected if Release is macOS Monterey and version is in the 12.0-12.4.x range
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Review Privacy preferences statusOpen System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy and note which categories have apps listed (location, contacts, photos, calendar, microphone, camera, accessibility)Affected if Any privacy categories are restricted or have granted applications, combined with vulnerable macOS version
System is affected if running macOS Monterey version 12.0 through 12.4.x with any privacy restrictions or app permissions configured.
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 · scoped12.5
Apply macOS Monterey 12.5 or later security updates to affected systems to remediate the privacy preference bypass vulnerability.
macOS Monterey 12.5
- Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup method before proceeding with the update
- Open System Preferences (or System Settings on macOS Ventura and later)
- Click on Software Update
- If macOS Monterey 12.5 is available, click Update Now to download and install it
- Alternatively, download macOS Monterey 12.5 directly from Apple's website and run the installer manually
- Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the update was successful by checking System Preferences > About > Version (should show 12.5)
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-2022-32789 — 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-2022-32789 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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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.
- 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