dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32851

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.15.7 / 11.6.8 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
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
An out-of-bounds read issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in Security Update 2022-005 Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, macOS Monterey 12.5. Processing a maliciously crafted AppleScript binary may result in unexpected termination or disclosure of process memory.

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 confidence

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in macOS allows processing of a maliciously crafted AppleScript binary to trigger memory disclosure or process termination. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation when parsing AppleScript binaries.

MitigationApply Apple's security updates (Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, or macOS Monterey 12.5). Avoid processing untrusted AppleScript binaries until patches are applied.

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Check your macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal
    Affected if The version is 10.15.7, or falls between 11.0 and 11.6.7, or falls between 12.0 and 12.4
  2. Verify AppleScript interpreter is available
    Run 'which osascript' or 'osascript -e ""' in Terminal
    Affected if The osascript command executes without error, indicating AppleScript is installed
  3. Confirm Security Update status on macOS 10.15.7
    Run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' and look for 'Security Update 2022-005' under the macOS version details, or check /Library/Updates for installed updates
    Affected if Running 10.15.7 and Security Update 2022-005 is not listed as installed
  4. Confirm Security Update status on macOS 11.x
    Run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' and look for 'macOS Big Sur 11.6.8' under the macOS version details
    Affected if Running macOS 11.x and version is earlier than 11.6.8
  5. Confirm Security Update status on macOS 12.x
    Run 'system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType' and look for 'macOS Monterey 12.5' under the macOS version details
    Affected if Running macOS 12.x and version is earlier than 12.5

You are affected if your macOS version is 10.15.7, 11.0-11.6.7, or 12.0-12.4 and the corresponding security update (2022-005, 11.6.8, or 12.5) has not been installed.

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 Apple's security updates (Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, or macOS Monterey 12.5). Avoid processing untrusted AppleScript binaries until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Security Update 2022-005 Catalina for 10.15.7; macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 for 11.x; macOS Monterey 12.5 for 12.x

  1. 1. Back up your Mac using Time Machine or another backup solution before applying any system updates.
  2. 2. Open System Preferences (or System Settings on macOS Ventura and later).
  3. 3. Click on Software Update to check for available updates.
  4. 4. If running macOS 10.15.7 (Catalina), install Security Update 2022-005 Catalina.
  5. 5. If running macOS 11.x (Big Sur), install macOS Big Sur 11.6.8.
  6. 6. If running macOS 12.x (Monterey), install macOS Monterey 12.5.
  7. 7. Restart your Mac when prompted to complete the installation.
  8. 8. After restarting, verify the update was installed by returning to Software Update and confirming no additional updates are available.
Caveat Standard macOS update considerations apply - ensure compatible applications and review release notes for any known issues before updating

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2022-32851 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