dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32819

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.7 / 10.15.7 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
A logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, watchOS 8.7, tvOS 15.6, macOS Monterey 12.5, Security Update 2022-005 Catalina. An app may be able to gain root 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

A logic flaw in state management within Apple operating systems allowed a malicious application to escalate privileges to root. The vulnerability existed in how the OS handled certain state transitions, enabling an app running with standard user privileges to bypass security restrictions and execute code with elevated (root) access.

MitigationApply the available security updates for the affected Apple platforms (iOS 15.6+, iPadOS 15.6+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8+, macOS Monterey 12.5+, watchOS 8.7+, tvOS 15.6+, or Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina) to address the state management logic flaw that permitted privilege escalation.

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
IpadosOperating system
Affected:< 15.6
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.6
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
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 15.6
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 8.7

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. Identify the operating system type and version
    On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version. On macOS: Apple menu > About This Mac. On tvOS/watchOS: Settings > General > About > Version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected ranges (iOS < 15.6, iPadOS < 15.6, macOS < 10.15.7 OR 11.0 <= version < 11.6.8 OR 12.0 <= version < 12.5 OR exactly 10.15.7, tvOS < 15.6, watchOS < 8.7).
  2. Confirm the macOS build number for Catalina (10.15.7)
    On macOS Catalina, run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or check System Preferences > About. Note the exact build version.
    Affected if Running macOS 10.15.7 with any build number - the specific build is affected.
  3. Verify Big Sur version for Intel or Apple Silicon
    Run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' in Terminal or check System Preferences > About > Version.
    Affected if Running macOS 11.0 through 11.6.7 (any version below 11.6.8).
  4. Verify Monterey version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or check System Settings > About.
    Affected if Running macOS 12.0 through 12.4 (any version below 12.5).

Your environment is affected if the installed OS version matches any of the specific version ranges listed above, meaning a malicious locally-running application could potentially escalate to root privileges.

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 8.7 / 10.15.7 / 11.6.8 or later
Fixed in 8.710.15.711.6.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the available security updates for the affected Apple platforms (iOS 15.6+, iPadOS 15.6+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8+, macOS Monterey 12.5+, watchOS 8.7+, tvOS 15.6+, or Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina) to address the state management logic flaw that permitted privilege escalation.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, macOS Monterey 12.5, Security Update 2022-005 Catalina, watchOS 8.7, tvOS 15.6

  1. Verify current device/OS version in Settings > General > About (iOS/iPadOS) or System Preferences > General > About (macOS)
  2. Back up important data before upgrading
  3. For iOS/iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 15.6/iPadOS 15.6
  4. For macOS: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and install the available security update (macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, macOS Monterey 12.5, or Security Update 2022-005 Catalina)
  5. For watchOS: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to General > Software Update, and install watchOS 8.7
  6. For tvOS: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and install tvOS 15.6
  7. Restart devices after update installation to ensure all security patches are fully applied
Caveat Standard OS upgrade risks apply - ensure backups exist before updating, some older apps may not be compatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Ipados 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-2022-32819 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