dbcve.org
macOSOperating system · Apple

CVE-2022-32866

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.0 / 11.7 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.7, macOS Ventura 13, watchOS 9, macOS Monterey 12.6, tvOS 16. An app 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 · high confidence

Improper memory handling in the kernel allows a local malicious application to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with kernel-level (highest) privileges. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability requiring only local access to the affected device.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches: update to macOS Big Sur 11.7+, macOS Monterey 12.6+, macOS Ventura 13+, watchOS 9+, or tvOS 16+ as appropriate for the affected device.

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
macOSOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.7>= 12.0, < 12.6
TvosOperating system
Affected:< 16.0
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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 your operating system
    Determine whether the device runs macOS, tvOS, or watchOS. This CVE affects all three Apple platforms.
    Affected if Device runs any of these Apple operating systems
  2. Check installed macOS version
    On Mac: open Terminal and run 'sw_vers -productVersion' or click Apple menu > About This Mac > Version
    Affected if Version is 11.0-11.7 or 12.0-12.6 (versions below 11.7 or 12.6 on those branches)
  3. Check installed tvOS version
    On Apple TV: go to Settings > General > About > Version
    Affected if Version is below 16.0
  4. Check installed watchOS version
    On Apple Watch: open the Watch app on iPhone > General > About > Version
    Affected if Version is below 9.0
  5. Determine if kernel-level code execution is possible
    This CVE allows a local malicious application to execute code with kernel (highest) privileges. The flaw exists in kernel memory handling.
    Affected if Running an affected version AND a local malicious application can be run on the device

The system is affected if it runs macOS 11.0-11.7, macOS 12.0-12.6, any tvOS below 16.0, or any watchOS below 9.0 - all of these versions contain the vulnerable kernel memory handling code.

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 / 12.6 or later
Fixed in 9.011.712.6
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches: update to macOS Big Sur 11.7+, macOS Monterey 12.6+, macOS Ventura 13+, watchOS 9+, or tvOS 16+ as appropriate for the affected device.

Recommended fix High confidence

macOS 11.7+ (Big Sur), macOS 12.6+ (Monterey), macOS 13+ (Ventura), watchOS 9+, tvOS 16+

  1. For macOS Big Sur (11.x) users: Update to macOS 11.7 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  2. For macOS Monterey (12.x) users: Update to macOS 12.6 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  3. For macOS Ventura (13.x) users: Ensure running macOS 13 or later via System Preferences > Software Update
  4. For watchOS users: Update to watchOS 9 or later via the Watch app on iPhone
  5. For tvOS users: Update to tvOS 16 or later via Settings > System > Software Update
Caveat Standard OS update considerations - ensure backups before updating, some older software may be incompatible with newer OS versions

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

Fix this in macOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

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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-2022-32866 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