dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32818

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.5 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.5. An app may be able to leak sensitive kernel state.

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 kernel-level information leak vulnerability in macOS Monterey. An application could leak sensitive kernel state due to improper memory handling. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling in macOS Monterey 12.5.

MitigationUpdate macOS to version 12.5 or later to patch the kernel information leak vulnerability.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 12.0, < 12.5

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check the installed macOS version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version displayed is 12.0, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, or 12.4 (any 12.0.x through 12.4.x release)
  2. Confirm macOS Monterey
    Verify the system is running macOS Monterey by checking the product name: sw_vers -productName
    Affected if The output shows 'macOS Monterey' and the version from step 1 is in the 12.0-12.4.x range
  3. Alternative version check via System Information
    Open System Information (or run: system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType) and locate the macOS version entry
    Affected if The version listed is >= 12.0 and < 12.5

The environment is affected if the system runs any macOS Monterey version between 12.0 and 12.4.x inclusive; version 12.5 or later is not affected.

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 12.5 or later
Fixed in 12.5
Interim mitigation

Update macOS to version 12.5 or later to patch the kernel information leak vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS Monterey 12.5 or later

  1. Check the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. If the version is less than 12.5, open System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and later)
  3. Navigate to Software Update
  4. Click Check for Update or allow automatic updates to install
  5. Install macOS Monterey 12.5 or later which contains the fix for the kernel state information leak
Caveat Standard macOS security update with no expected breaking changes; as with any system update, ensure critical data is backed up before updating

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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-2022-32818 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