dbcve.org
IpadosOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32854

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.0 / 11.7 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
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
This issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.7 and iPadOS 15.7, iOS 16, macOS Big Sur 11.7. An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.

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 a privacy bypass vulnerability in Apple's mobile and desktop operating systems where an application could potentially circumvent Privacy preferences that should restrict its access to sensitive user data or system features. The issue was addressed with improved validation checks within the operating system. Affected versions include iOS 15.6 and earlier, iPadOS 15.6 and earlier, and macOS Big Sur 11.6 and earlier.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied OS updates: iOS 15.7 or iOS 16+, iPadOS 15.7 or iPadOS 16+, or macOS Big Sur 11.7+. This is a standard patch management activity requiring no custom code development.

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:< 15.7
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:< 15.7
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0.0, < 11.7
WatchosOperating system
Affected:< 9.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check iOS version on iPhone or iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the iOS version number displayed.
    Affected if The iOS version is 15.6 or earlier (less than 15.7).
  2. Check iPadOS version on iPad
    Go to Settings > General > About > Version. Note the iPadOS version number displayed.
    Affected if The iPadOS version is 15.6 or earlier (less than 15.7).
  3. Check macOS version on Mac
    Click the Apple menu > About This Mac. Note the macOS version displayed (for example, 11.6, 11.5, etc.).
    Affected if The macOS version is Big Sur 11.0 through 11.6 (greater than or equal to 11.0 but less than 11.7).
  4. Check watchOS version on Apple Watch
    Open the Watch app on paired iPhone, go to My Watch > General > About. Note the watchOS version.
    Affected if The watchOS version is less than 9.0 (for example, 8.x or earlier).

A device is affected if it runs iOS/iPadOS before 15.7, macOS Big Sur 11.0-11.6, or watchOS before 9.0, where an app could bypass privacy restrictions to access sensitive user data.

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 9.0 / 11.7 / 15.7 or later
Fixed in 9.011.715.7
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied OS updates: iOS 15.7 or iOS 16+, iPadOS 15.7 or iPadOS 16+, or macOS Big Sur 11.7+. This is a standard patch management activity requiring no custom code development.

Recommended fix High confidence

iOS 15.7/iPadOS 15.7/iOS 16, macOS Big Sur 11.7, watchOS 9.0

  1. Check the current OS version on the device (Settings > General > About on iOS/iPadOS, System Preferences > General > Software Update on macOS)
  2. Back up the device using iCloud or iTunes/Finder as a precautionary measure before updating
  3. For iPhone/iPad: Upgrade to iOS 15.7 and iPadOS 15.7 (or iOS 16 if the device supports it) via Settings > General > Software Update
  4. For Mac: Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.7 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  5. For Apple Watch: Upgrade to watchOS 9.0 or later via the Watch app on iPhone
  6. After upgrade, verify the Privacy preferences are functioning correctly in Settings
Caveat iOS 16 dropped support for iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus; ensure compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ipados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32854 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-32854 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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