CVE-2022-32838
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 · uneditedA logic issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.5, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, Security Update 2022-005 Catalina, iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6. An app may be able to read arbitrary files.
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 confidenceA logic error in state management within Apple operating systems allows a malicious application to bypass file access restrictions and read arbitrary files on the system, potentially exposing sensitive data.
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< 15.6< 15.6= 10.15.7< 10.15.7>= 11.0, < 11.6.8>= 12.0, < 12.5= 10.15.7CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check macOS version on MacOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if Version is 10.15.7, or between 11.0 and 11.6.7 inclusive, or between 12.0 and 12.4 inclusive
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Check iOS version on iPhoneGo to Settings > General > About > VersionAffected if Version is earlier than 15.6
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Check iPadOS version on iPadGo to Settings > General > About > VersionAffected if Version is earlier than 15.6
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Confirm application sandbox is not enforcedThis vulnerability allows a malicious app to bypass restrictions, so if sideloaded or untrusted apps can run, the system is potentially exposed. Check if 'Developer Mode' is enabled on iOS/iPadOS (Settings > Privacy & Security) or Gatekeeper settings on macOS (System Preferences > Security & Privacy).Affected if Developer Mode or reduced security restrictions are enabled, allowing untrusted applications to run
You are affected if your device runs macOS 10.15.7, macOS 11.x before 11.6.8, macOS 12.x before 12.5, iOS before 15.6, or iPadOS before 15.6.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped10.15.711.6.812.5
Apply the appropriate Apple security update: macOS Monterey 12.5, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, Catalina Security Update 2022-005, iOS 15.6, or iPadOS 15.6.
iOS 15.6 / iPadOS 15.6 / macOS Monterey 12.5 / macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 / Security Update 2022-005 Catalina
- Identify the device type (iPhone, iPad, or Mac) and current operating system version
- For iPhone or iPad: Upgrade to iOS 15.6 or iPadOS 15.6 respectively via Settings > General > Software Update
- For Mac: Determine if running macOS Monterey, Big Sur, or Catalina, then upgrade to macOS 12.5, 11.6.8, or apply Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina via System Preferences > Software Update
- Verify the update was successfully applied after restart
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32838 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-32838 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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