dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32853

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

This is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in macOS AppleScript binary processing. When the system parses a maliciously crafted AppleScript binary, it reads memory beyond allocated buffer boundaries, potentially causing process termination or exposing sensitive process memory contents to an attacker.

MitigationApply Apple's security updates (Security Update 2022-005 for Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, or macOS Monterey 12.5 or later) to all affected macOS systems to address the input validation flaw in AppleScript processing.

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 macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to obtain the installed macOS version number
    Affected if The version is 10.15.7, or falls between 11.0 and 11.6.7 inclusive, or between 12.0 and 12.4 inclusive
  2. Verify AppleScript binary execution capability
    Check if AppleScript can execute by running 'osascript -e "return 1"' in Terminal - this confirms the AppleScript interpreter is present and functional
    Affected if The osascript command executes successfully, indicating AppleScript processing is available on the system
  3. Identify AppleScript file processing
    Search for .scpt or .applescript files on the system using 'find /Users -name "*.scpt" 2>/dev/null' or 'mdfind kMDItemFSName == "*.scpt"' to locate any compiled AppleScript files
    Affected if Any .scpt files exist and can be parsed by the system, meaning the vulnerable binary parsing code path could be triggered
  4. Check for automated AppleScript execution
    Review cron jobs, launch agents, or login items for AppleScript execution: 'crontab -l', 'ls ~/Library/LaunchAgents', 'ls /Library/LaunchAgents', and check System Preferences for login items that may run AppleScripts
    Affected if Any scheduled or automated AppleScript execution exists, the malicious binary could be processed during these operations

The system is affected if it runs any vulnerable macOS version (10.15.7, 11.0-11.6.7, or 12.0-12.4) AND has the ability to process AppleScript binaries, either through manual execution, automated scripts, or embedded AppleScript content.

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 or later) to all affected macOS systems to address the input validation flaw in AppleScript processing.

Recommended fix High confidence

Security Update 2022-005 Catalina, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, or macOS Monterey 12.5 (depending on current version)

  1. Identify the current macOS version by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac
  2. For macOS 10.15.7 (Catalina): Install Security Update 2022-005 Catalina via System Preferences > Software Update
  3. For macOS 11.x (Big Sur): Update to macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 via System Preferences > Software Update
  4. For macOS 12.x (Monterey): Update to macOS Monterey 12.5 via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. After updating, restart the system as prompted to apply the security patches
Caveat Standard risk of minor application compatibility issues with any macOS security update; test critical workflows before production deployment

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2022-32853 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