Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32812

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.15.7 / 11.6.8 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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.5, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, Security Update 2022-005 Catalina. An app 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

This is a memory handling vulnerability in the macOS kernel that allows a locally installed application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code at the kernel level (ring 0). This is a privilege escalation vulnerability requiring local access.

MitigationApply the relevant macOS security updates: Monterey 12.5, Big Sur 11.6.8, or Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina, depending on the macOS version in use.

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
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. Determine macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to get the exact version number
    Affected if The version falls within the affected ranges: 10.15.7, 11.0 to 11.6.7, or 12.0 to 12.4
  2. Check build number for additional precision
    Run 'sw_vers -buildVersion' to get the build number, which can confirm the exact patch state
    Affected if The build number is older than the patched builds for each version branch (for example, builds before 21G91 for Monterey 12.5)
  3. Verify system is not receiving updates
    Check System Preferences > Software Update or run 'softwareupdate -l' to see if updates are available
    Affected if No security updates are pending and the base version matches an affected release

A system is affected if it runs macOS Catalina 10.15.7, Big Sur 11.0-11.6.7, or Monterey 12.0-12.4 and has not applied the corresponding security update (2022-005, 11.6.8, or 12.5).

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: Monterey 12.5, Big Sur 11.6.8, or Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina, depending on the macOS version in use.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Monterey 12.5, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, or Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina (minimum)

  1. Identify the currently installed macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. For macOS Monterey (12.x) users: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS 12.5 or later
  3. For macOS Big Sur (11.x) users: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install macOS 11.6.8 or later
  4. For macOS Catalina (10.15.7) users: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install Security Update 2022-005 Catalina, or upgrade to a supported macOS version
  5. After updating, restart the system to apply the kernel-level security fix
  6. Verify the update was applied by checking System Preferences > Software Update for no remaining updates
Caveat Users on older macOS versions may need to perform a full system upgrade rather than a simple security update; ensure critical applications are compatible 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32812 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-32812 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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