dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32832

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.7 / 10.15.7 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 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 with root privileges 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

A memory handling vulnerability in Apple's kernel allows an application running with root user privileges to escalate to kernel-level privileges, enabling arbitrary code execution at the highest privilege level. This is a local privilege escalation requiring the attacker to already have root access.

MitigationApply the applicable Apple security updates (iOS 15.6+, iPadOS 15.6+, macOS Monterey 12.5+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8+, watchOS 8.7+, tvOS 15.6+, or Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina) to all affected devices.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/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 installed iOS or iPadOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version, or connect the device to a computer and check in iTunes/Finder
    Affected if The version shown is less than 15.6 (for example, 15.5, 15.4, etc.)
  2. Identify the installed macOS version
    Run `sw_vers -productVersion` in Terminal, or go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Version
    Affected if The version is 10.15.7, or less than 10.15.7, or between 11.0 and 11.6.7, or between 12.0 and 12.4. (Note: macOS 10.15.7 and all versions below it, plus Big Sur 11.0-11.6.7 and Monterey 12.0-12.4, are affected)

You are affected if your device runs any iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS version below the fixed releases (iOS 15.6+, iPadOS 15.6+, macOS 12.5+, macOS 11.6.8+, watchOS 8.7+, tvOS 15.6+, or Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina).

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 applicable Apple security updates (iOS 15.6+, iPadOS 15.6+, macOS Monterey 12.5+, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8+, watchOS 8.7+, tvOS 15.6+, or Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina) to all affected devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, macOS Monterey 12.5, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, Security Update 2022-005 Catalina (for macOS 10.15.7), watchOS 8.7, tvOS 15.6

  1. For iPhone and iPad: Go to Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 15.6 or iPadOS 15.6
  2. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Software Update and upgrade to macOS Monterey 12.5, Big Sur 11.6.8, or apply Security Update 2022-005 Catalina
  3. For Apple Watch: Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the paired iPhone, or directly on Apple Watch, and upgrade to watchOS 8.7
  4. For Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and upgrade to tvOS 15.6
Caveat Standard OS update risks (ensure backups before updating; some legacy apps may be incompatible 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
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
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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-2022-32832 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