dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32797

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.15.7 / 11.6.8 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
This issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2022-005 Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, macOS Monterey 12.5. Processing a maliciously crafted AppleScript binary may result in unexpected termination or disclosure of process memory.

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

A vulnerability in macOS AppleScript binary processing allows attackers to cause denial of service (unexpected termination) or disclose process memory by crafting malicious AppleScript binaries. The issue stems from insufficient validation checks during parsing of AppleScript binary format files.

MitigationApply the relevant macOS security updates (Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina, Big Sur 11.6.8, or Monterey 12.5) to resolve the vulnerability. Until patched, avoid processing untrusted AppleScript binaries from unknown sources.

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:= 10.15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:< 10.15.7>= 11.0, < 11.6.8>= 12.0, < 12.5= 10.15.7

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Determine installed macOS version
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the version number displayed (e.g., 12.4, 11.6.7, 10.15.7).
    Affected if The version is 10.15.7, or between 11.0 and 11.6.7 inclusive, or between 12.0 and 12.4 inclusive.
  2. Check for AppleScript script editor usage
    Open Script Editor (located in /Applications/Utilities/) and verify it can open and compile AppleScript files.
    Affected if The Script Editor application is present and functional on the system.
  3. Identify AppleScript binary file handling
    Look for .scpt files (compiled AppleScript) in user directories, particularly in ~/Library/Scripts/, /Library/Scripts/, or received via email/attachments.
    Affected if Compiled AppleScript (.scpt) files exist on the system or are received from external sources.
  4. Verify osascript command-line tool availability
    Run 'which osascript' in Terminal to confirm the osascript binary is present for processing AppleScript.
    Affected if The osascript tool is installed and executable on the system.

A user is affected if they are running macOS 10.15.7, 11.0-11.6.7, or 12.0-12.4 and process a maliciously crafted AppleScript binary, which can cause the Script Editor or osascript to crash or leak memory.

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 / 11.6.8 / 12.5 or later
Fixed in 10.15.711.6.812.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant macOS security updates (Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina, Big Sur 11.6.8, or Monterey 12.5) to resolve the vulnerability. Until patched, avoid processing untrusted AppleScript binaries from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Security Update 2022-005 Catalina (10.15.7), macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, or macOS Monterey 12.5 depending on current OS version

  1. 1. Determine the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. 2. If running macOS 10.15.7 (Catalina), apply Security Update 2022-005 Catalina
  3. 3. If running macOS 11.x (Big Sur), upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.6.8
  4. 4. If running macOS 12.x (Monterey), upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.5
  5. 5. To upgrade, go to System Preferences > Software Update and install available updates, or download the appropriate update from support.apple.com
Caveat Standard upgrade considerations apply - ensure compatibility of third-party applications with the target OS version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2022-32797 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